Into the Dark
by Smash King24
Summary: In the darkness lies your fears...
1. Out of the Tournament

Into the Dark

* * *

Chapter 1: Out of the Tournament

* * *

"Game!"

The voice of the announcer echoed throughout the entire Battlefield. Captain Falcon stood on the left floating platform looking up at the three brawlers.

"Show me your moves!" he taunted and then he started laughing.

Link frowned down at him. He didn't need to be so cruel to her. Solid Snake just laughed.

"Ha! He got her good, didn't he?" His voice was loud but not enough for Captain Falcon to here.

Lucario had his eyes focused on Falcon.

"_That was a low blow_," he thought to himself, "_using a Pitfall to stun her, and then pulling off his ultimate attack to finish her_."

Captain Falcon stood triumphant on the stage, grinning at the small group.

"Thank you my fans! I hope to see you cheering me on at my next match!" he called up to the group a second time. Link and Lucario just turned their heads away.

Snake smiled. "He was pretty cunning to pull off a cheap trick like that," he commented.

Link's eyes flared up. "What do you mean he was 'cunning!?' A move like that should be illegal!"

Unfortunately, it wasn't. Trapping your opponent with a Pitfall item and then unleashing a full out Falcon Punch on them was perfectly legal in the game of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The platform the three brawlers were on floated down to the battlefield. Link ran up to Captain Falcon who came down from the platform.

"You should be eliminated from the tournament!" cried Link. Captain Falcon gave a dull look.

"Uh...why?"

Link rolled his eyes in anger. "You cheated!" Captain Falcon looked surprised.

"Cheated? Me? Oh, Link, surely you must be mistaken. There is no way that I, Captain Falcon, could ever cheat in a brawl. I have been with the Smash Bros. for as long as you have, and not one time in any match have I cheated." Link raised his finger to say something, but was interrupted when a light shined in the middle of the stage.

Samus (in her zero suit) stepped out of the light frowning. She looked over all the people present, then she looked at Falcon.

"You..." she started. "I-"

All of a sudden, Master Hand floated down from nowhere.

"Great show!" he said. "I saw the whole thing! This one is definitely going onto the Replay Archives!" Captain Falcon smiled while the others stared at the floating hand.

"What?" stated Samus blankly. Never in her life had a match of her losing gone into the Replay Archives. She felt shocked and angry at the man with the crash helmet.

"It was a great match!" Master Hand continued. "Why I just have to show this to the other brawlers! These new comers sure could learn a thing or two from you Falcon."

"Why thank you."

Samus didn't say anything. She silently headed to the exit platform that Link, Snake and Lucario arrived in. She did not make eye contact with the others. "Hey Samus, wait!" called Link from behind her. He and Snake both boarded the platform with her and they transported back to the control room.

The entire Battlefield stage was disappearing until all that was left was a square platform in the middle of a white room. The floating platform moved to the door and Samus, Link and Snake left. Link to a last glance at Captain Falcon on the other side before moving on.

Master Hand looked through the giant window on the west wall of the room. "Did you get the whole thing, ROB?" ROB the robot was manning the controls on the other side of the window. Here is where he is able to make the selections for the stage, items and other settings before a match begins. He gave a nod to Master Hand. The floating hand began making his way across the empty space to the door. Lucario had his eyes closed and looked like he was sleeping standing up. Captain Falcon hesitated before asking "Hey, you awake?" Lucario opened his eyes.

"That was foul play back there," said the aura Pokemon. Captain Falcon shrugged.

"Hey, it's not my fault she doesn't know how to put up a fight against me." Falcon made his way to the boarding platform. "You're next, you know."

"I know," replied Lucario.

"You're up against Snake. I wouldn't underestimate that guy. He claims to be an expert on the 'battlefield,' whatever the hell that's supposed to mean."

Lucario stood there silently.

"A little word of advice..." started the racer. Lucario looked towards him. "...use Pitfalls. They work like a charm."

Captain Falcon headed for the door. Lucario closed his eyes again and stood there in the middle of the dark platform. The room turned silent as the doors behind Captain Falcon closed.

"Unlike you I don't need items to win."

* * *

"Ugh, I can't believe I lost to that jerk!"

Samus, Link and Snake were walking through the Smash Mansion courtyard. It was the start of summer. Birds could be heard chirping in the trees. Flowers lay in bloom all around their feet, but regardless of this bright mood, Samus remained angry.

"It's okay, you tried your best," said Link trying to cheer her up. Samus turned to him and smiled.

"You're sweet, but I still can't forgive what he did."

Snake turned to them both.

"I really don't see what the big deal is. All he did was Falcon Punch you. Everyone loses now and then, so why are you getting so worked up over nothing?"

Samus stopped walking and sat down on a nearby stone bench. Link sat next to her while Snake remained standing in front of them. Samus looked down at the shining grass.

"You may not know this Snake, but Captain Falcon has caused me a lot of trouble in the past."

Snake put on a serious face.

"What happened?"

Samus went silent for a moment. Link felt that he should hold her hand or put his arm around her, but he felt that she might just get mad again. She looked back up at Snake.

"Captain Falcon has been on my back since before the beginning of Smash Bros."

Snake nodded.

"Both of us were in the gaming industry and we worked for Nintendo. When Nintendo was dominating the market of video games, Captain Falcon gave us an idea to make more money. He suggested we make a racing game. The idea was a little plain and Nintendo had already developed plenty of racing games in the past so his idea was scrubbed. I then proposed that we make a game based on aliens and outer space. The guys at Nintendo liked the idea because they had not really gone into the making of a game like that before. Simply put, Captain Falcon got jealous of me because they accepted my idea over his. He then left the company for a few years starting his own F-Zero series. It didn't receive as much popularity as Metroid did though due to the popularity of science-fiction at the time. Surprisingly, he actually did quite well on his own."

Snake looked surprised. "That's all?"

"No. Years later when Nintendo announced they were going to make Super Smash Bros. they called Captain Falcon back into the business."

"What for?"

"Since Smash Bros. was a game that brought Nintendo's best together, they had no choice but to bring Captain Falcon in, otherwise they would risk the chance of being sued."

"Wow, that's…stupid."

"Tell me about it. To make things worse, when the first tournament started, Captain Falcon made it his one goal to be ahead of me. I've beaten him in some matches. But whenever it's an important tourney or event match, he shows no mercy on me. He acts kind to all the other fighters but me."

Link could see tears forming in her eyes.

"He doesn't care about me. He probably wants me to die. I went through two games putting up with him and now in the newest installment he goes and pulls off a move like that on me! I can't stand him!"

She turned to Link and began crying on his shoulder. He knew the pain she had gone through. He had been there to help her sometimes in Melee but whenever he wasn't there, Captain Falcon would bully her around like he had nothing better to do. What kind of guy picks on a girl anyway? Samus wasn't one to be broken through easily either. After cleansing Planet Zebes of the Mother Brain you would think she'd be ready for anything else life threw at her. But not Falcon. Definitely not him.

Link recalled a time in Melee during a three player tournament. It was a free-for-all on Princess Peach's Castle. Link, Samus and Captain Falcon were the combatants. Samus actually had some confidence knowing that Link would do anything to protect her from that creep. It didn't turn out that way. Link would never forgive himself for letting that slime ball hurt Samus that day. After he got Falcon Punched across the other side of the stage, a bullet bill came down in the middle of the arena. Captain Falcon grabbed Samus and threw her into the bullet right as it exploded making her power suit almost disintegrate. After that, Captain Falcon finished off Link and won the match. Link snapped out of the daydream when Samus let go of him and began sniffling.

"Here," said Link as he offered her a handkerchief.

"Thank you." She took it gratefully and blew her nose.

"Man, he sounds like a real jerk," said Snake calmly. Samus put the handkerchief in her pocket.

"Now you know how I feel..."

Link felt pretty bad here sitting with her. He quickly came up with an idea.

"Hey, you want to go get something to eat?" he asked.

Samus paused, but then smiled at him.

"Sure."

Link smiled back. He just wanted to cheer her up after all the pain she had been through.

"What, you mean you want to go out?" asked Snake, who Link nearly forgot was still standing in front of them.

"Uh, yeah, y'know just the three of us. Kind of a way to make Samus feel better."

"Aw, you don't have to do that for me."

"Trust me. I want to."

Snake looked across the courtyard. "So where do you want to go?"

Samus and Link thought for a moment.

"Somewhere far away from this place, like in America," suggested Link.

"Good idea," said Samus. She got up and began walking out of the courtyard, away from the mansion. Link and Snake followed suit.

The trio went out to the parking lot in front of the Smash Mansion. Samus' orange starship was parked next to Fox's Arwing in the corner.

"Let's go, boys," she said about to board the ship.

She stopped.

"What's wrong?" asked Link. She didn't reply. His question was answered when he followed her gaze right to Captain Falcon's Blue Falcon racer. She still stared, a small grin appearing on her face.

"Wait Sam, you better not be thinking what I think you are," said Link nervously. She smiled menacingly. Link and Snake froze on the spot.

"_She wouldn't_," Link thought.

Samus hit the control panel on her wrist. Her power suit started to form and put together around her body. After some lights and buzzing sounds, Samus was in her complete power suit form. She opened a compartment on the side of her starship and a Smash Ball plopped out onto her hand. At this point Snake realized what she was going to do.

"Oh man, this is going to be good!" he laughed. Link was still frozen. He could not believe that she was actually going to do it. Samus squeezed the Smash Ball in her hand, shattering it to pieces. The sound of the breaking glass rung throughout Link's head. Samus was glowing a golden colour and she was still smiling beneath the helmet.

"Here it comes," said Snake smiling.

"Oh, man," said Link quietly, incredulous to what he was seeing.

Samus aimed her arm cannon at the Blue Falcon.

"This is for what happened today!" she yelled as a huge, pulsating blue laser shot out of her cannon and completely obliterated Captain Falcon's prized vehicle. The destruction only last about 5 seconds, but that was more than enough time for the shredded piece of metal to be sent flying upwards towards the mansion. The power suit died away and Samus was back into her zero suit, this time panting after all the energy she had released. Snake was laughing like a crazy man. Link was watching what was left of the Blue Falcon fall 50 feet straight down through the roof of the mansion's greenhouse. Link's mouth was nearly touching the ground. A loud crashing could be heard, as well as the sound of glass shattering and the scream of someone who was in the greenhouse. Samus wasn't smiling anymore. There was silence. Then a loud voice came from the building.

"What the hell happened in here!? And what the fuck happened to my car?!"

At this, Snake was on the ground laughing like a maniac. Samus' smile returned to her knowing that she had done what she had always wanted to do. Link just stared at the mansion. The voice boomed again.

"I'm gonna kill whoever did this to my car!"

Link froze again. The only words escaping his mouth were inaudible but if you read his lips they would have said, "oh no."

"Time to go!" said Samus as she made a mad dash back into her ship.

"Hey hold on!" cried Link running behind her. Snake was still laughing on the ground, until he heard Samus' ship start up. He looked at the ship then at the front door of the mansion. Captain Falcon came out of them along with some other brawlers Snake recognized.

"YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Captain Falcon started sprinting towards Snake.

"Aww man," said Snake to himself. He quickly turned and climbed aboard the ship as it was lifting off. By the time Captain Falcon had reached the end of the parking lot, the ship was already a dot in the clear blue sky.

"DAMN YOU, SAMUS!" yelled Captain Falcon at no one in particular. He got on his knees and started punching the ground repeatedly. The other brawlers were still at the entrance to the mansion. Among them, Pit and Ganondorf were conversing.

"Who do you think did that?" asked Pit. Ganondorf didn't even need time to think about this one.

"Samus. Definitely Samus."

* * *

The orange starship sped out of the planet's gravitational pull and started slowing down until it started orbiting the earth. The sun shined brightly against the heavy armor plating. Fortunately, the ships front window was impermeable to the suns hot rays. Samus sat in the pilot's seat looking out toward the blue planet. Snake sat in the co-pilot seat while Link sat back at navigation, rapping his fingers on the desk nervously. He may be the Hero of Time and he may have saved Hyrule before, but the sudden turn of events had left him speechless.

This had been his first time in space unless you count Subspace Emissary, which wasn't necessarily outer space, but subspace. More specifically, this was the first time he had been in Samus' starship. He looked around at his surroundings. The inside of Samus' ship was made up of four main parts.

There was the center room, which was triangular shaped. It contained the entry beam as well as a rack that held weapons and extra armor. It was also very dark coloured which contrasted with the ships outer colours.

The room which he and the others sat in was the main deck, which had four seats: One for the pilot and co-pilot, one for navigation and one for the main cannon on the front of the ship. Colourful buttons and gizmos lay before him, which he dared not touch lest he was willing to face the wrath of Samus Aran. He looked over to Snake who had his dirty boots mounted on the controls in front of him. Fortunately for him, Samus did not notice because she was looking through the overhead compartment. The controls for the cannon sat idly opposite to Link. They were just as colourful as the ones in front of him.

The third room which made up the ship was towards the back on the left side. It contained a kitchen complete with a mini fridge, sink, and oven. Link guessed that she must have food stocked up in case she had to go on another bounty hunting mission or something like that. There was also a door which led into a mini bathroom that contained a toilet, shower and sink.

The last room was none other than Samus' quarters which was closed. He tried to imagine what she kept in there but couldn't come up with anything. Perhaps her power suit? True, her ship was pretty small, but that's all the room she needed when she was traveling alone on Planet Zebes.

Regardless, he knew how powerful this ship was considering that Samus had assaulted the entire Subspace army with it, along with Meta Knight's Halberd, Fox's Arwing, Captain Falcon's Falcon Flyer and Olimar's Rocket. He looked back at Samus who must have noticed Snake because his feet were now on the ground. They were talking about something.

"So, now that we're out here, what do you plan on doing?" Snake asked Samus smiling.

"Well, all the maps I have stored here are for Zebes, nothing that we could use to get away from our stress," she said pointing to the maps.

"You mean _your _stress," replied Snake, coolly.

"If you want to go back I would be more than happy to chauffeur you. I'm sure Captain Falcon would welcome you back with warm arms after what we did to his car."

"You mean what _you_ did to his car."

Samus frowned then turned to Link.

"Link, what do you think?"

Link sat there quietly. Samus and Snake waited for an answer.

"Well?..." Snake edged on.

"Ugh...we shouldn't go back. Not after what we told you Samus. We said we would go somewhere fun and that's what we'll do. Who cares if we don't have a map of where we're going. Let's just pick a spot and see where it takes us." Link sat back in his seat and crossed his legs and arms. Samus smiled.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. Let me just get changed; I got a little roughed up today. Excuse me." Samus got up and left the room. Link watched her leave before moving over to her seat. It was still warm. Snake looked down at his boots, which were still dirty. He turned towards the controls in front of him, which were as dirty as his boots, before relaxing himself.

Snake didn't know what he was doing on this ship. He probably got mixed up in a bunch of things. He joined the ranks of Brawl to get some practice into his daily training. Had he expected an invasion from the Subspace army, he would never have joined. He, as well as the other brawlers, went through a lot of hell just to make sure their universe didn't get sucked into nothingness. They had managed to defeat Taboo and restore peace to the Smash Bros. but now, he didn't know what he was getting himself into. He sighed. Solid Snake didn't like to think about what could happen if he messed up. He knows what could happen, but he never thinks about it. Soldiers don't fool around or daydream on the battlefield, but this technically wasn't a battlefield and he knew that too.

Snake looked over at Link who was leaning on his hand, daydreaming.

"_Wonder what he's thinking about_..." Snake thought to himself. He heard Link sigh for a moment. Snake looked over to the door Samus left then he looked back at Link who was still in a trance. Snake smirked.

"Hey pretty-boy, what are you thinking about?" Link was still daydreaming. "Hey! I'm talkin' ta you!" Snake shouted.

Link snapped out of it and almost fell out of his seat. He looked up at Snake in surprise.

"Oh, Snake, hey," he said getting comfortable in his seat again. Snake eyed him from head to toe.

"_This is the great 'Hero of Time' I've been hearing about? He looks like a complete wimp_," Snake thought to himself before saying, "So, um, what were you daydreaming about?"

Link stuttered. "I...uh...I-I wasn't daydreaming! Um, I was thinking."

Snake wasn't satisfied.

"About?..."

"Um, nothing."

Snake raised an eye in confusion. "So, you were thinking about...nothing?..."

Link was hoping he would buy this.

"Um, yeah that's it."

Snake stared at Link. Link was getting more nervous each passing second Snake stared at him. He was sinking into his seat, forgetting about his Master Sword and Hylian shield on his back.

"Well that's totally understandable," said Snake finally, breaking the long silence that had befallen the room.

Link sighed in relief. Snake didn't need to know what he was thinking about.

Link was thinking about Samus and how hard it must have been for her growing up. Even though they were best friends, Samus had never in her life told Link about her childhood, except for the fact that she was raised by Chozos...whatever the heck those were. He knew he should really stop thinking about her because it made him act strange to the people around him.

The door behind them opened and Samus came out. This time she wasn't in her zero suit or her power suit. She was wearing a black t-shirt that had the screw attack emblem on the front of it as well as blue jeans with black running shoes. She wore a silver bracelet on her right wrist and a necklace with no gem on it. Her hair was done up like it normally was in a ponytail. Link did a double take at her when she came in because he had never seen her in casual clothes before. Snake wheeled around in the rotating chair and whistled.

"Looking good Samus," he said winking. Samus smiled back.

"Thanks. So where we heading?" She looked over at Link who immediately averted his gaze upon her.

"Ugh, America, right?" he said.

"Alright then, let's go!" She punched in some numbers (coordinates) on the pad in front of Link and the ship started moving towards earth.

"Wait, where are we going?" asked Snake.

"You'll see."

The ship sped towards the planet at incredible sped. The outer plating of the ship kept it clean from any damage to it from friction or other particles in the air. Clouds could be seen moving past them through the main viewer. Link and Snake bounced around in their seat from the turbulence. Samus was standing but was not affected by this after having so much experience traveling around the galaxy. Soon, a city could be seen below them.

"What's that?" asked Link.

"That's our destination," replied Samus.

"A city? Alright!" said Snake as the ship sped closer and closer towards the ground. Link got out of Samus' seat and made his way over back to navigation. Samus took control of the ship.

"I'll need to land near the outskirts so we don't attract attention from the locals," said Samus as she moved the ship towards a forest outside the city. Link looked out the side viewer.

Dark clouds and mountains could be seen rising over the forest below. It was only 8:00 so it wasn't that dark out. But, for some reason, these mountains and clouds looked unusually dark. It was overcast so the sky couldn't even be seen. For a moment, Link could have sworn he heard gunfire coming from somewhere in the mountains. He shrugged it off thinking that it was his imagination after all the excitement...or was it?

Samus landed the ship in an opening in the forest. The ship hovered until it touched ground. All wild life around it scattered away. Samus turned off the main power.

"We're here."

Snake unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up to stretch. Link also stood up. The Hylian's ears pricked at the sound of a female scream that echoed through his head.

"Do you hear that?" he asked the two. Samus shook her head slowly.

"What's the matter, kid?" Snake teased. "Too scared to go out on a Saturday night?" Link heard the scream die down before disappearing completely.

"Never mind."

The three of them made their way to the central room where the lift brought them down to ground level. Link had left his sword, shield, bombs, and bow on board. He kept his boomerang and hookshot just in case. Snake left all his equipment on board. He did not think that they would be running into any trouble tonight. Samus of course, left her pistol on board as well.

They walked through the damp forest. City lights could be seen ahead of them. They moved on to the side of a road that went into the forest. There were no cars.

"So, Sam, where exactly did you bring us?"

"I honestly have no idea."

Link gave a surprised look.

"Wait, then what were those numbers you were inputting on the ship?"

"I dunno. You said you wanted to visit America, so that's where I brought us. Look, there's a city just up ahead. We'll find answers there."

The trio made their way down the gloomy road. Trees and forest could be seen on both sides of them. Link could have sworn he saw eyes peering out of the darkness, watching him.

Snake was ahead of the group. It was dark, so all Samus and Link could see was the shadowed figure of a tall man walking in front of them. Suddenly, Snake stopped with a jerk.

"Ow!" he cried.

Samus and Link both jumped at attention.

"Something hit me," said Snake rubbing his sore nose, but the other two couldn't see this. Samus put her hand forward and felt something cold.

"There's a sign here," she said. Link folded his arms.

"Maybe we'll find out where we are." Snake pulled out his pocket flashlight and shined it upwards to see a green road sign. All three of them read it over twice before heading again towards the city lights. Link was thinking to himself.

"_Something doesn't seem right about this place. Maybe it's just me but I don't feel very safe here. I'm sure Samus and Snake feel the same way, but they just don't want to admit it. I can't chicken out now. Who knows? Maybe it'll be fun? There was something odd about that road sign back there, though...hmm...now that I think about it...I've never even heard of Raccoon City_."


	2. Welcome to Raccoon City

Into the Dark

* * *

**Author's Note:** I just want to give an extra special thanks to Chris000 for being my first reviewer ever! You guys should seriously check out his stories. They are amazing, and are especially entertaining to fans of Sonic, Halo, Starcraft and Star Wars. Don't flame me please! I have never played any of the Fire Emblem or Metal Gear Solid games so I am sorry if the personalities of some characters may be weird. This is just how I see them.

* * *

Chapter 2: Welcome to Raccoon City

* * *

The city was empty. Link, Samus and Snake walked silently down main street. The lights which they had seen outside to city just happened to be fire. Flames crawled upon over-turned vehicles, street signs and some buildings and structures. "Police do not cross" signs lay scattered all over the road as well as barricades-made up of barbed fencing and metal plating-that had been completely destroyed. Down-town Raccoon City had turned into a war zone. Bodies lay mangled and decapitated all around them, on cars, on the road, and hanging out of windows. Some corpses even had intestines drooping out of them. Just what in the world happened here?

The smell of smoke and death lingered throughout the air and pinched at Samus' nose. Never in her life had she smelled anything so vile. She wrapped her arms around herself to escape the cold, regardless of the flame's dead heat. This city was torn apart. Link had no words to say. Everywhere he looked he saw crimson on the ground, or weapons sitting idly with no masters. Link felt a shiver go up his spine.

The three continued to walk silently through the carnage. Even Solid Snake, who had witnessed a lot of death on the battlefield, was awe-struck by the scene he was witnessing. Small children also lay dead among the adults. This made Samus want to throw up.

The only death she had ever seen was that of the alien scum she blasted with her cannon. These weren't aliens, though. These were humans. Humans that had lives. Humans that laughed. That played. That could change the world. But not anymore... because they were dead.

They stopped at a four-way intersection to see a pile of cars that seemed to have collided with each other. Dead, bleeding bodies lay among the wreckage, as well as the horrifying faces of the unfortunate victims. The blank eyes stared right into Samus', but she turned away. Her sight now gazed upon what had once been stores and restaurants. They were still now. Windows were broken, merchandise stolen or destroyed, bloodstained walls and counters.

Samus looked in the only direction she had left, which was directly at Link. Link gave her the same face, she did to him. He took another quick scan of the area. Something was wrong with this city.

"_Maybe that gun shot I heard has something to do with this_," Link thought, "_or maybe that scream_..."

As the three continued past the wreckage, Link's Hylian ears picked up a scratching sound. He twitched his ears and turned to where the sound was coming from. The shadowed figure of a man stood in an alley way silently, watching him, realizing that the strange boy in green had noticed his presence. Link blinked twice and lost sight of the figure. The man was gone.

"_Was he following us the whole time?_"

Suddenly, a wet piece of paper flew up in the wind and smacked Snake in the face. "Hey!" he cried as he pulled the sheet from his mug and examined the fine print. It was a newspaper labeled "The Raccoon City Times." Samus eyed it too. Snake was the only one tough enough to speak without throwing up, first.

"Three More Mysteriously Murdered," he said as he read the front headline. Link looked over his shoulder again to see if the shadow was there. Nothing.

"I have a bad feeling about this place," said Link as he turned to his friends. Samus would have said that earlier, but she was too afraid to. Too afraid to speak with all these empty eyes watching her every move. This was supposed to be a fun night out. This was anything but fun right now. This was horror in pure form. Samus nodded to Link's comment.

Snake continued to read. "Two unidentified men and one woman were found dead in the basement of their home last night. The identities are unknown as the bodies were so horribly mutilated by the attackers. Judging by the large mess of storage containers in the basement, the victims were assumed to have barricaded themselves in from their attackers before being torn and eaten alive. This event brings the number of victims of these mysterious 'chain murders' up to 26. 'We're doing our best to find the murderers behind these killings,' says R.P.D. chief Brian Irons." Snake paused. "The rest is illegible."

"What's the date of that newspaper?" asked Samus, her arms now down at her side. Snakes went wide as he read the fine print.

"June 16, 2008," he read slowly before dropping the paper on the ground.

"Okay, that's it. We gotta get out of here," Link said looking around.

"Agreed," replied Samus. "Let's go."

They turned around to see a young woman, probably in her 20's, hunched over and staring at them. The three paused for a second.

"Are...are you you alright, ma'am?" Snake asked, cautiously walking towards her. Samus and Link stayed behind at a safe distance. There was something wrong with this woman, but neither Samus nor Link could get a grasp of what it was.

"Careful, Snake," Samus called ahead to her friend. Snake did not turn around, but gave a wave to show that he heard her. He continued up to the woman until they were at a reasonable distance to talk normally.

"Can I help you, miss?" Snake asked again.

The woman was pale and she was wearing a bloodstained white night gown that was torn in the top right shoulder. Her hair was a mess and she had a lot of blood on her hands and neck area. Snake took another step towards her. He could hear her heavy breathing from where he stood.

"Ma'am?"

The woman quickly ran with her bare feet up to Snake and grabbed his arm. Snake flinched at the sight of the woman's bleeding face.

"Please! You must help me!" she pleaded. Snake quickly shook her off and took a few steps back.

"What happened to you?" he asked looking at the blood stain on his right arm.

"They came! They killed everyone! They are the murderers!" she screamed stumbling closer to Snake. For every step she took, Snake took two steps back.

"Who?" Snake looked at the woman directly in the eyes.

"The-"

She stopped. She fell to her knees, then forward onto her face. Snake froze.

"She's dead," he said slowly. Snake turned to his companions. "She just keeled over. I didn't touch her," he said innocently. Link and Samus ran up to him.

"Snake, there was something wrong with that woman," Link said looking up at the tall man. Snake gave an angered look.

"Well, no shit, Sherlock! What else did you find out? That the entire city has gone to hell? What about the fires over there? They look pretty suspicious if you ask m-"

"Snake behind you!" Samus screamed. Snake did a backwards kick and hit someone who was standing behind him. The body flew at least 15 meters before hitting the pavement. He turned to see his attacker.

"What was it?" he asked staring at the body he just beat. Samus took a step back.

"It was that woman who you said was dead," she said.

"What? How can that be? She fell over right in front of me. There's no way in hell she could get back up after seeing the wounds on her body...or could she?" Snake continued to stare at the corpse.

Link took another look around him. He was hearing more sounds, this time coming from all over the place. It sounded like painful moaning.

"Guys, we really gotta get out of here," Link said still looking around. Snake didn't move.

"Is she...getting up?" he said quietly.

Indeed, the woman was getting up off the ground. This time, her face was turning a brownish-green colour, and her teeth had started turning yellow. Her face had an indent in the middle where Snake had kicked and she was all deformed. She started stumbling towards the three again, making moaning sounds, similar to the ones Link was hearing. All three of them flinched.

"What...is that thing?" Samus said moving closer to her two larger comrades. Snake was still staring at the creature moving towards him.

"I...I don't know," he said slowly. The woman had fallen over a stray tire and was pulling herself back up. Link shoved his way to the front of the group, hookshot at hand. He aimed his weapon at the woman.

"Stay back! I'm warning you!" he called over to the creature, who still ignored his words. Link had seen something like this before.

Back when Ganondorf had taken over Hyrule, he had infested Castle Town Market with Redeads. This woman looked almost like a Redead, except her gaze upon his eyes did not make him freeze in terror. He remembered that Redeads could be stunned momentarily if they heard the Sun's Song, a song that granted the power of the Sun. Unfortunately, Link did not have his ocarina with him so he had to think of a new plan. If this woman would not stop her assault, he would have no choice but to fight back.

The woman was closer now. Within 10 meters at the most. That was more than enough distance his weapon would cover. But would it work on this creature? There was only one way to find out.

"Sorry I have to do this," Link said, aiming the hookshot at the woman's head. She put out her arms in an attempt to grab the three. Link fired his weapon. It made a clicking sound as the chains locked onto the target. The hook end met with the creatures face, exploding on contact, and creating a giant hole right where the eyes and nose used to be. Link gasped.

"That's never happened before," he said softly. The creature fell to the pavement, this time dead for sure as the hookshot retracted. Snake and Samus also gave surprised looks.

"Man, remind me not to make you mad in a brawl," Snake said.

"I didn't know it could do that," Samus said staring at Link's weapon, which had been soaked with blood and brain matter.

"I never really tried to use it that way," he replied. The distant moaning sounds drawing closer reminded Link of their objective. "Let's get back to the ship," he said, quickly holstering his weapon. The three of them ran their way back up the street they took to come here. Gunshots could be heard, as well as screams from the poor citizens who fell victim to these monsters.

"That woman back there," Samus said running alongside her companions. "You don't think there's more of them are there?" Snake didn't hesitate to answer.

"Judging by the look of the city, I'd say there's hundreds of those things running around. They're probably the ones responsible for the murders."

"Let's just get back to the ship. This isn't our problem to deal with," Link said before stopping. "But that is."

He pointed to a creature on the other side of the road similar to the woman except it had a male build. It was attempting to claw at a police officer in a narrow alley.

"We have to help him!" Link called to the others as he ran to assist the cop. Samus tried to get him back.

"Stop! You'll be killed! Who knows what those things will do to you!"

Snake stood next to her.

"He's letting the whole 'hero' thing get to his head."

The police officer was a fat man who had dropped his gun on the road and was fighting a humanoid creature with his night stick. The creature stood about a foot taller than the cop. Brown skin was peeling off its face and the leather jacket it wore was also starting to slowly wearing away.

"No! Stop!" cried the cop, as the creature managed to get its cold hands around the man's neck and bite into it with all its might. The cop cried in agony as blood spurted from his mouth. The night stick fell into a cold puddle of blood at his feet.

Link arrived too late but just in time to witness this horrifying scene. The creature that had once been human was eating away at this police officer who had once been alive. Link froze on the spot.

"Just what are you?"

The creature stood up and lunged at Link. The Hylian was too slow to react as the monster fell on top of him, attempting to bite at his veins. Link was holding it back with his hands, but the force of gravity was not agreeing with him.

"Help!" Link cried to his comrades who he hoped hadn't abandon him. Suddenly, he felt the weight of the creature being lifted off his body. The creature flew across the street and landed through the windshield of a parked car. Snake stood above Link, offering his hand.

"You idiot! You should know better than to charge at enemies like that!" Snake lectured the young Hylian. "Had it not been for me you would probably be missing a limb or two by now!" Samus came up behind him.

"Are you okay?"

Link grabbed Snake's hand and pulled himself up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Man, that thing stank." Link grabbed his stomach. He quickly ran into the alley, past the dead cop, and started puking in a dumpster. Samus followed him.

"Link, are you sure your fine?" she asked again. Link's face was sickly pale.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. I just need some time to- Samus watch out!"

The cop was behind her, the same dead look in his eyes that Link saw in the creature that had attacked him. This officer was now one of 'them.' Samus didn't have time to react before she heard the sound of a neck cracking. She turned around to see Snake standing before her, dusting off his hands. The cop lay on the ground, its head perpendicular to its neck.

"Thanks," she said.

"Ah, don't mention it. Actually, that's twice I've saved both of your lives'. I think you guys should owe me," said Snake sarcastically.

"Very funny. Now let's get out of this hellhole."

As the three left the alley way and moved up the street, Link noticed the figure of a shadowed man next to a broken street light. He moved uneasily with the rest of the group. "_Maybe he'll leave us alone if we ignore him_..." he thought.

They continued running at a simple pace until they were halted by what seemed like a wall of moving bodies. Up ahead of them stumbled about twenty or so of the monsters they had encountered earlier that night. These ones varied in different shapes and sizes as you could well imagine.

"Shit, there's more of 'em," cursed Snake under his breath.

"We can't fight that many of them. We'll have to go back," Samus said, nervously looking behind her.

"We can't do that. We'll only end up getting more trapped in the city." Link looked for a building they could take cover in.

All of the surrounding buildings had windows broken, doors on the ground and blood on the walls. Link took a few steps back before noticing a bar that seemed to be intact. The neon light's glowed above the front window that did not seem to be broken at all. The sign read "Johnny B's Bar." Link looked towards the approaching creatures before making a mad dash for the building.

"This way! Inside here!" he called to his friends who had just noticed him leaving.

"Wait for us!" Samus cried, tailing Link followed by Solid Snake. Link pounded his fists against the red, wooden door.

"Open up! Get us out of here!" he called.

No answer. Link tried again, knocking louder, but no one came to the door.

"Out of my way!"

Snake shoved past Link and rammed the door with all his might. The door immediately broke inward and the bar's interior was revealed.

"Get back you fiends!"

Snake, Samus and Link looked to see who had said that. A bartender stood behind the counter facing the door with a double-barreled shotgun aimed at Snake's chest.

"I'm warning you!" the bartender continued yelling. He was a tall, thin man with glasses. He wore a white apron around his waist and a black vest with a gold plate over his heart that read "Manager." Oddly enough, he had been the cleanest person the trio had seen all night. Snake put his hands over his head impulsively. Samus and Link followed suit.

"Whoa! Whoa buddy! Do we look like monsters to you?"

The armed man wasn't convinced.

"You are dressed in funny looking clothes. You could be a different kind of monster that I haven't seen yet," replied the bartender as he clicked off the safety of his weapon.

"Buddy! We're not fucking monsters! What do I need to do to convince you? Take my shirt off?"

"Hey those things are still outside, you know?" Link said aloud, wondering why no one was doing anything about it. The bartender lowered his weapon. The other three lowered their arms at the same time as well.

"I'm sorry. It's just that... it's been so long since I've seen real people that I've already forgotten the difference between them and those zombies.

"It's not that hard to see the difference! Just look at our skin for God's sake!" Snake yelled, unaware of the undead mob approaching the building outside.

"Wait, what do you mean zombies?" Samus asked.

"Those things-" the bartender started but was cut off when he heard the cold groan of a visible zombie outside. "You three! Back here with me!" Link and Samus nodded to each other as they and Snake crouched down behind the counter with the bartender. The bartender grabbed a magnum gun that was under the bar.

"Any of you know how to use one of these?" he asked showing the weapon to the three for them to see.

"I do," Samus and Snake said at the same time.

"You seem like an able fighter to me, sir," the bartender said giving Snake the gun. "You have ten shots there and three extras under the counter if you need them. Don't waste my ammo. Aim for the head," the man instructed the stealth expert.

"_Wait, we're going to fight these things?_" Link thought to himself.

"You there! Fairy-boy!"

Link jumped at the sound of the bartender's voice. He had not heard anyone call him by that nickname since his days back in Hyrule. He missed his days traveling around with Epona. Ah, the memories. But what was it that made the bartender call Link "Fairy-boy?" The ears? The tunic? The funny looking hat and tights? Link wished Navi was there with him to guide him through this madness, but he was not.

"If things get too crowded in here," the bartender continued, "use this". The bartender tossed him a Molotov cocktail, assuming Link knew how to use it. Link caught it, examining the glass bottle with the paper stuffed in it. What was this thing exactly?

"Um, sir, are you sure we'll be able to take on all these things?" asked Samus nervously.

The bartender frowned at her.

"You kids are the ones who led them into my establishment. There's no way you're squirming out of this one." That wasn't the answer Samus was expecting.

"Can we at least get your name?"

The man looked towards the front door at a zombie that had stupidly stumbled through the entrace.

"The name's John, little missy." He fired a round into the face of the approaching zombie making its head explode and brain matter fly in all directions. Luckily, the survivors were far enough away not to get showered.

"I'm Samus, this is Link, and this is Snake." John looked through the door to see more of those dead head's climbing over each other just to get in.

"Let's worry about introductions later. These guys are going to be tough to beat."

Link clutched the fire-bomb in his hands, wondering if he should help with his hookshot. Snake fired three rounds from the magnum, instantly taking the heads off three of the attackers.

"Nice shot!" said John as he blasted a hole through the chest of a zombie, then proceeding with obliterating its head.

"Thanks," replied Snake, killing another one by hitting right in the eye.

Most of the zombies that had followed them in were in the bar now. There were a lot of them. More than there had been estimated at first. Snake was down to two shots with the three still in reserve. John had six shells loaded into his gun with twelve in reserve. They were running out of ammo.

"Dammit! They just keep coming!" Snake cursed. The stress was causing him miss some shots. He shot a zombie in the chest accidentally making it collapse, but it got up just 5 seconds later and continued it's assault with it's "brothers."

"Use the Molotov cocktail now, boy!" yelled John as he blasted a zombie at point-blank range. Link stared at the weapon in his hand.

"How do I use this thing!?" he called to John. Link saw a zombie hand in front of his face as one of the monsters made an attempt to climb over the counter.

"Throw it! Now!"

Samus kicked the face of the zombie that had tried to grab Link, knocking it back a few feet into its comrades.

"Link!"

Link stood up over the counter and hesitated. The sight and stench of blood and guts on the walls almost made him puke.

He tossed his bottle into the center of a group of moving creatures. The bottle exploded and the entire group of about seven zombies were engulfed in a mass of flame.

"Nice work, boy!" John called to the Hylian. This, however, did not keep the monsters from coming closer.

"We have to fall back!" Snake yelled over the sound of gunfire and groaning. He grabbed the extra ammo and dashed to the back door. "Dammit! The doorknobs busted!" Snake then proceeded with kicking the door down on the first strike. The empty frame led to a dark alleyway filled with dumpsters and trash bags filled to the max. "Out here! Move!"

Link and Samus ran out the door followed by John covering the rear. The monsters had now all started making their way over the counter or around it. This obstacle managed to slow them down, but it only made them more hungry each passing second. The survivors ran out into the street. Fortunately, there were no zombies out here.

"They must still be all inside," Samus said, gasping for breath after enduring that gory battle. Snake reloaded his gun with what bullets he had left.

"I'm almost out," he said embarrassed. A military tactician like him should have known better than to waste ammo on small enemies. Had he had his equipment on him, that battle would have ended a lot differently. He would have easily been able to dispose of them all with a few grenades. "We have to get back to the ship!" he said looking around to see if any more of those freaks wanted a missing head. John was trying to clean the blood off his glasses with his stained apron.

"Wait, you guys have a ship? How can that be? There's no port around here to dock."

"Our ship can fly," Samus stated plainly.

"Your ship flies? What luck! Let's get there now while we have time!"

"We can't. Those things blocked us off from the route we were going to take to get there. My ship is on the outskirts of the city in a forest," she said.

"The forest? That's close by! It's just up the road there," said John, pointing a bloody finger up the street. They turned to look, but they did not see a forest. A creature with a wide build was limping down the street towards the survivors. No of them said anything.

The creature started limping faster towards them, its distinctive features hidden in shadow. Samus made a move forward but was halted by Snake's hand.

"Hold your ground. Let's see what we're dealing with here..." As the creature came under a street light (which just happened to be intact unlike the other fallen ones) its facial features started to become clear. The creature had two heads, one that was male, the other female. It also appeared to have four legs, but two of them seemed to be dragging along. Moaning could also be heard. A lone zombie started approaching the two headed creature from behind.

"What is that?" Link spoke above the sound. John's eyes went wide.

"They're human! Survivors! We must help them!" John dashed to the four legged creature, shotgun at ready. Samus winced her eyes.

"They are human!" she said. "Two of them!"

The other three immediately followed John's lead to the two wandering survivors. By the time they got there, John had blown the head off the zombie that was tailing them. Samus and Link sat down on the pavement with the two they had just saved.

One of them was a young man in his late 20's, wearing a brown, bloodstained jacket and black pants. He was also wearing black dress shoes and wore a shiny, silver analog watch on his left hand.

His companion, the woman, was younger but no doubt in her 20's as well. She wore a white t-shirt with the University of Raccoon City emblem on it in blue, as well as blue jeans and a pair of dirty running shoes. Pumas. Her hair was loose and all over the place. The most noticing and disturbing feature about this girl was the fact that she had a large bite mark on her right shoulder and it was bleeding uncontrollably. Snake stood up, watching the situation.

"Please! You must help me save her!" said the man in brown as he kneeled over his wounded companion. She was breathing heavily and her skin was turning a sickly pale. "We need to act quickly or else she'll become one of them!" John knelt down next to him and checked out the wound.

"It's deep... is there a cure for this?" he asked curiously.

"There is," replied the man, "but we mustn't waste any time. I need a blue herb, stat!"

Link and Samus looked puzzled.

"Blue herb?" Samus asked.

The man turned to Samus and Link. How could anyone not know what a blue herb is? They are one of the most common vegetation in Raccoon City! His mental question was answered when he saw Link's clothes.

"Ah, foreigners. Just great..." the man said, rolling his eyes.

John immediately got up and hopped over the window of a nearby convenience store to find the medicine. The others sat there silently. The man looked down at his friend who had started coughing up blood. He quickly grabbed an already bloody handkerchief from his pocket and started cleaning it off.

Link watched the man work.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The man looked up at Link.

"I am Micheal Syvone," he said plainly. "I came to this city to get my degree in medicine. Then all this shit happens." He turned back to his friend and started cleaning the blood again.

Link was reminded of his environment. Cars lay around on the street, broken or burnt to ash. A fire hydrant had been knocked over by a semi truck and water was spurting out of the ground, washing the blood and organs of previously killed zombies down the sewers. Could those monsters somehow track them? Did they have a superior sense of smell? Why did they want to eat the living? Where did they come from? Link felt that he could not leave the city until these questions were answered. And to think that just this morning he was drinking a cup of tea in the dining room of a fancy mansion.

Link's eyes opened wide. He had just remembered...the tournament! Was there still time to make it back to the mansion to start his match with Fox? What about Snake? He had missed his match a few hours ago. Does this mean they'll be eliminated from the tournament? Would that even be a legal win? What would Master Hand say if he found out where they had been and what they were doing? The stress started to pile onto Link's mind.

He snapped out of it when he noticed John emerging from the store with a handful of blue plants in his arms. His shotgun was strapped to his back. Snake pretended to ignore him and looked around in case of more zombies. He twirled his weapon on his finger, a trick he had learned back in his rookie days.

"Here, I grabbed all I could carry," said John ,setting the herbs to the side of Mike.

"Thank you! She may have a chance at survival now!" replied Mike gratefully. "This should stop the virus from spreading throughout her body." He broke the herbs into tiny bits and covered the wound with it. The girl flinched at the sting of the herbs taking effect. "Shh, calm down, you'll be okay."

Once the herbs had completely covered the red with blue, Mike reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. He pulled out an Umbrella certified First Aid Spray. A pricey drug indeed. How did this guy get his hands on one? He proceeded with spraying the wound with the green spray. The pain stung so much that John had to hold down the girl's legs. With the medicine quickly taking effect, Mike finished his job by ripping out a piece of his inside shirt and wrapping the 'bandage' around the girl's shoulder.

"There, it's done," he concluded.

The girl relaxed from the pain and did not move. Silence. A cold wind blew over the group, the fire's near them providing absolutely no heat.

Link thought he saw the shadow of the tall man through the corner of his eye. He ignored it. This was more important. The girl stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

"Where... am I?" she said slowly.

Mike looked as though he were about to cry. The girl sat up, staring at the strange people around her before noticing Mike.

"Mike...?"

Mike immediately hugged her tightly.

"Dana, I'm so glad you're okay!" he said, tears running down his face.

Snake rolled his eyes.

"How touching," he said before noticing a large group of zombies coming up the road towards them. He took a step back.

"They followed us from the bar!"

Everyone turned their attention to the approaching mob.

"So, it wasn't a dream..." Dana said to herself.

"We gotta go!" said John scooping up some of the left over blue herb and shoving it into his pocket.

Mike helped Dana up and the six survivors ran as fast as they could up the road. They stopped only to be ambushed by another mob of zombies. These ones were all short though. A school of children no doubt.

"We're trapped!" said Samus looking in both directions at the monsters. Link closed his eyes.

"_Come on, think of something_..." he thought before opening them to see the dark man standing in a nearby alleyway. "_Him again?_" The shadowed man pointed a finger straight up in the air. Link looked up to see that he was pointing at the antenna on top of a nearby coffee shop. Link looked back at the man, but he had mysteriously vanished. The idea hit him like a brick.

If they couldn't outrun the zombies, they could out-climb them instead.

Link pulled out his hookshot and aimed it at the roof antenna. With a number of clicks, the hook led the chain up until it struck the top of the building. Link tugged the weapon to make sure it was secure and taut.

"Quickly! Everyone up here!" he called to his fellow survivors. They all gathered around him, the zombies less than fifty feet away. Link's heroic instincts kicked in. "Okay! One by one you guys are going to climb up this thing until you reach the roof. Samus, you first."

Mike interrupted.

"Wait! Let Dana go first! She's the wounded one."

Link felt a sweat drop on his nose.

"Can she climb by herself?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Let's do this," she said. She grabbed the chain and started pulling herself up it, her feet wrapped around and sliding up smoothly.

"I don't know how much weight this thing can take. We'll have to go one at a time," Link said, tugging the chain tight.

"There's no time for that! We'll all be killed by the time two of us get up there!" said Mike hysterically. He wasn't making the situation any easier.

"Why don't you stop being so frickin' impatient, 'doc?' Snake said between his teeth.

Dana reached the top of the roof. "I'm up! Who's next?" she called down.

"Out of my way!" Mike shoved past Snake and started to climb. Snake grabbed the back of his collar aggressively.

"Nuh-uh. Ladies first," he said right into the face of the doctor.

Samus gave a nod and started climbing her way up. She managed to save a lot of time compared to Dana thanks to her athletic abilities.

"Bartender, you're next," Snake commanded.

John was making his way up the chain. The zombies were very close now. Less than ten feet away.

"There's not enough time! We have to go!" Mike whined under the groaning of the flesh eating monsters. John made it to the top and waved.

"Hurry!" he called.

One of the zombies got really close and grabbed Snake on the arm. He reacted and flipped it over Michael and Link's head into a group of more zombies. The creatures had them completely surrounded and cornered against the building. Mike broke under the stress.

"No way I'm dying here!" Mike ran over to Link and grabbed him around the waist, hitting the hookshot trigger at the same time. Link and Mike were carried along the chain up to the other survivors.

"Wait! We forgot Snake!" Link cried looking down below to see his friend outnumbered by the undead army.

They reached the top. Link readied his hookshot to help his lone companion, but looked over the edge only to find a mass of zombies gathering around the building they were on.

"He's...gone..." Link said slowly.

Samus gasped.

"What!?"

Link holstered his weapon still looking at the street.

"Snake's dead." A

ll the other survivors were under shock, except for Mike who just coughed.

"Ah, the jerk had it coming to him," he said casually.

Link's eyes flared a fiery red. He stormed over with extreme speed and grabbed Mike's collar and dragged him to the edge of the building.

"No one deserves a death like that!" Link yelled, shoving Mike's head over the edge to see the mindless civilians. Samus had to stop this, otherwise Snake might not be the only dead one in the group.

"Link, calm down. There was nothing you could do," she tried. Link continued holding Mike's head over the edge. Samus grabbed Link's arm. "Link! Stop it!" she cried. Link calmed down at Samus' touch, letting go of the doctor.

"I'm, sorry," he said nervously. "I don't know what came over me."

Mike slowly made his way over to Dana's side who comforted him.

"You people are all crazy!" he said. "Just who are you?"

Link gave Mike an angry look.

"My name is Link. This is Samus. That guy who you fed to those monsters was Solid Snake and probably the only guy who could probably get us all out of this mess," he said seriously.

There was silence. John stood in a corner eying the creatures below.

"Um, guys. We should really think about getting out of here," he said nervously. The others looked at him. They continued to the door that led into the building.

Link stayed behind for a minute, watching the bloody monsters below. "_I will find out the fiends behind this mess. They're going to pay for the pain they caused tonight_." He looked into an alleyway behind the mob. The dark man stood there silently. "_Thank you_." Link moved to the roof door and made his way down the stairs.


	3. Regroup, Recoup

Into the Dark

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**Author's Note: **If you read, please review! Don't make me come and hunt you down...

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Chapter 3: Regroup, Recoup

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Link opened the door to see his fellow survivors waiting for him in the room. They sat in what appeared to be a living room. There was no blood anywhere, but the room looked pretty empty. Wires lay hung on the walls where pictures used to be. The coffee table lay bare with the exception of John's bloody shoes which he propped himself up on the black couch. This made Link look behind him to notice that he himself was also tracking dirt and blood into the room. Whoever owned this place must have abandoned it a long time ago.

Mike sat down in a chair, his face in his hands. He was going through a lot of stress, but no one seemed to care. Dana sat on the floor, examining the make-shift bandage on her shoulder.

Link looked out the bare window across the street. Was that shadow there? No, just the face of a burning building.

This city had gone through a lot of hell. The carpet was soft beneath his feet and he had just remembered that they had taken shelter in a coffee shop. Hopefully, the first floor will be just as clear as the second. He heard water running and turned his head in the direction of a nearby locked door. Samus was washing up in the bathroom.

"_Good idea_," Link thought.

Mike took his hands off his face and looked to John who sat staring at the pale ceiling, his gun resting at his side.

"What the hell happened to this city?" Mike asked the bar owner. "This was not what I signed up for." John looked back at him.

"You don't know do you?" he said frowning. Mike shook his head. "And you?" John turned Link who shook his head as well.

"If we knew this was going to happen, do you think we would have come here?"

Link's stomach made a subtle rumble. He just remembered that he hadn't eaten since lunchtime. It didn't help that he threw up earlier too. He wanted to go downstairs to see if there was any food lying around, but he wanted to stick around in case John said something useful. The sound of water stopped and Samus emerged from the bathroom, her face clean of all sweat and her hands washed of blood and dirt. Dana made her way to the bathroom and locked the door. Whatever John was going to say, she didn't want to hear it. John took a deep breath and relaxed himself.

"10 years ago, this city had endured the same shit you saw out there," he started.

"Wait. You mean this has happened before?" Samus asked, standing next Link.

"Yes, though it wasn't as bad. September 1998. That's when it happened. That's when this city was struck by evil in pure form."

Link was feeling uneasy.

"_I need to eat something_..." he thought to himself, holding his stomach.

"It all started when these random murders started occurring all over the city. No one knew who was responsible for these murders. The only clue that the R.P.D. could work with was the fact that the victims were 'eaten' alive. Pretty soon, weird creatures started wandering around the city, killing innocent people and turning them into monsters."

Link and Samus nodded.

"In a matter of days, the situation became too great for the police to handle. Even the special agents sent by Umbrella could not stop the monsters."

"Wait, Umbrella?" Link asked curiously. John put his feet on the floor and leaned forward.

"They're the ones who started this whole thing in the first place."

Link and Samus gasped.

"What is Umbrella?" Samus asked.

"A company specializing in bioengineering and pharmaceutical products. I don't know their background all too well. But rumor is that they developed a virus that could turn people into bio-organic weapons. It was supposed to be a top-secret government issue, but Umbrella got side-tracked...a group of field specialists-S.T.A.R.S.-were dispatched to discover the truth behind Umbrella. Of the 13 S.T.A.R.S. members that went into the Arklay Mountains to investigate, five made it out alive."

"That's horrible!"

"That's not the worst of it. The surviving S.T.A.R.S. members claimed that they found undead monsters they referred to as 'zombies.' They said that they witnessed people being turned into these monsters right before their eyes. To make matters worse, they said they also encountered more than just zombies up there. Dogs and birds are affected by the virus as well."

Samus bit her lip. "Testing on animals..."

"Right."

Link looked out the window again.

"Where are the Arklay Mountains?" he asked. John pointed west.

"Out there, beyond the forest. Did you notice them coming in?"

Samus closed her eyes.

"I can't remember."

Link opened his eyes wide. He did see mountains rising up from the dark forest. He also remembered the gunfire.

"How did the virus get into the city?" he asked hesitantly. John continued his story.

"The S.T.A.R.S. agents managed to destroy the facility they were breeding the virus, but they failed to stop it from spreading. Rats are the carriers. They get into the city and live in the sewers. After a few days, people start to pick it up and it doesn't take long for the virus to kill you. Trust me, I know." He turned to Mike who was feeding off of every word he was saying. "That's why Dana is lucky to be alive." Mike did not react to this comment.

"If that explains how the virus got out in the first place, what's the explanation behind these murders?"

John looked down at the ground.

"I… I don't know. Raccoon City was completely 'sterilized' during the first outbreak. We had to rebuild and replace the entire city. Too make things worse, Umbrella managed to cover up its crimes with excuses that the media took advantage of."

Link felt the rumbling in his stomach again.

Dana emerged from the bathroom, face and hands clean. She went to go sit down next to John.

"Will we make it out of here, okay?" she said, looking into John's eyes. John was not sure, but he did not want to break the morality of the group.

"Don't worry, we'll make it out. We have to."

Link went into the bathroom and shut the door.

The bathroom was pretty clean. A bathtub lay opposite to the door. A toilet sat next to it as well as a sink which had a little dirt on it. A window stood opposite to the sink. Link looked at the clean tub. "_Man, I could sure use a shower right now_..." he thought. He had to take his mind off it though. They couldn't stay here for long. Those zombies might find a way to break in. Hopefully they gave up the chase for good. Link did not hear any noise from downstairs, so they must have left. He went over to the sink and looked in the mirror. Who is that guy? Link could barely recognize himself as a mask of ash and dried blood covered his face. "_This better not be my blood_," Link thought before turning on the water and washing it down the drain. He looked up again to see the face of a handsome Hylian. The Hylian in the mirror did not smile, however. Why couldn't he? Link was still thinking about his lost comrade.

He hadn't known Snake for very long, but he was a good friend to him.

Link remembered a time he and Snake partnered up for a skirmish against Ike and Luigi on Pokemon Stadium 2. Snake had managed to grab the Smash Ball and board the chopper circling the stage. Link knocked Ike off the stage with a spin attack. Snake was aiming his grenade launcher at Luigi but the green plumber was a slippery fellow. Link grabbed Luigi with his hookshot, holding him down. Snake took the opportunity to fire his last round and knock Luigi away and out of the arena. Those were the good times. A tear was forming in the mirror Link's face. He quickly wiped it away.

After cleaning his hands, he went to the toilet and did his business. When he finished, he turned to the bathtub a second time, a blue shower curtain hung carelessly. He considered taking a shower but felt that his stomach was the first thing that needed to be satisfied.

He exited the bathroom back into the living room. Everyone else sat around silently. This was not good. If they stayed in one place for too long, those things outside would have no problem getting to them.

"I'm going to see if there's anything to eat downstairs. Anyone want to come?"

Samus walked to his side. She too hadn't eaten since lunchtime and her stomach was begging for nourishment. Dana and John also stood up.

"I'll come," Dana said quietly. Mike did not leave his seat.

"I'm fine."

Link did not seem to like this man very much. As a matter of fact, he had no problem leaving him up here all by himself. The four of them walked downstairs, John taking his gun with him just in case. Mike sat there, hunched over, and closed his eyes.

Link was the first to reach the first floor. There was a counter and tables with chairs in an orderly fashion. A jukebox lay in the corner. Public restrooms were on the other side of the room. The black and white floor showed no signs of zombies' footprints anywhere. It was the perfect spot to relax.

Link took a door back into the kitchen, Dana and Samus following.

John made his way to the cash register to check it. "Damn, empty," he cursed under his breath.

The front windows had thick, mahogany blinds covering it, so there was no way any zombie outside would even think to come in here.

Unfortunately, the kitchen was as empty as the cash register. Dirty pots and pans lay all over the sink. Everywhere else seemed spotless as Samus winced at the brightness of the stainless steel appliances. Whoever was here must have cooked something to go and left the mess, thinking he would never need to clean it again. Too bad he didn't leave any food for these survivors.

Link noticed a giant metal door in the back of the room: The freezer. Maybe there was food in there? Or maybe something he could cook?

"_Only one way to find out_."

Dana stood by the kitchen entrance while Samus checked the empty cupboards.

Link grasped the door and pulled with all his might. It was locked. Link checked his hands to make sure he was wearing the golden gauntlets. Sure enough, he saw his own face staring back at him in a shiny gold reflection. Link tried again, pulling harder this time. The door nudged a little bit. Link pulled again. This time the door opened completely and something heavy and cold fell on top of Link as he fell with it. He opened his eyes to see the face of a frozen man with a horrifying expression on his face.

"Ahhh!" Link cried.

Samus quickly came over and pulled the cold body off of Link. He started gasping.

"What...was that?" he asked panting. Dana came over to investigate. Samus looked at the face down body on the floor. It wasn't a zombie.

"He must have been locked in there," she said.

Link looked at the frozen body that attacked him. The man was holding a small metal pole that was curved on both ends. A crowbar. He must have tried to pry his way out, but to no avail.

Link looked past the body into the mouth of the freezer. A cold mist was descending from it. Link could see pieces of meat hanging in the back. He looked disgusted.

"There's no way I'm eating that," he said. He got up off the floor and made his way into the freezer.

"It's cold," Dana said hugging herself. Samus stood by the open door to make sure Link didn't get trapped in there like the unfortunate soul lying on the ground. Link was astonished. The freezer was just about empty, too, save for a few ice cream cartons and some french-fries. Having no other options, he grabbed two ice cream cartons (vanilla) and brought them out to his companions.

"This was all that was in there," he said holding up the two cartons for them to see.

"Let's get back to John," replied Samus.

The three made their way back to the main shop. John was next to a vending machine attempting to kick the food out of it. He noticed them walk in.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"Just ice cream. The kitchen is empty. Someone was trapped in the freezer, frozen to death," Link replied.

"That's gross," John said, moving over to the three by the counter. Dana found some spoons in a drawer. Link opened the two cartons to reveal a shining, white goodness filled to the rim. John took one scoop out of one of the containers.

"I'll only eat a little. I'm not in the mood for ice cream."

Now that he thought about it, Link wasn't in the mood for ice cream either. The environment, the events, they just kept piling onto his shoulders like dead weights. But ice cream was still food and he ate it graciously. Samus and Link shared a carton, while Dana had one to herself. They ate in silence. John looked over at the jukebox.

"You know, they have some pretty good songs on that thing," he said casually. "If it weren't for those freaks outside, I'd put some on for you guys."

Both Link and Samus weren't very familiar with music of the real world. Any music Link listened to either came from the background music of the Brawl stages or his ocarina, which he liked to play to relax him. His ocarina was not with him now, though.

He wondered if the other Smashers were worried about him. How would Zelda be feeling? Would she be crying? Captain Falcon probably couldn't care less about him and Samus' well-being. How would they react to Snake's accidental death? Link closed his eyes. They just have to come and rescue them. If they didn't come to save him, what kind of friends would they be? Or would it be better for them to stay at the mansion, away from all these creatures? Link contemplated on the worst case scenario. His eyes shot open when he heard the sound of glass shattering and Mike screaming.

The others looked to the staircase and dropped their spoons.

"No! Mike!" Dana screamed.

John immediately ran up the stairs. The others followed closely behind. John could not believe the sight he was seeing.

Mike was rolling around on the floor with what appeared to be four feathered animals frantically hovering over him and pecking at his flesh. Wings were flapping wildly as the crows attempted to follow their victim around on the floor. Mike was screaming in pain.

"Dammit!" yelled John as he ran to Mike's side.

He grabbed the barrel of his shotgun and swung at one of the crows pecking at Mike's vulnerable chest. It was a direct hit as the crow was sent ten feet before colliding with the wall and exploding. The other crows stopped attacking and turned to their new attacker, springing on John recklessly. John dropped his weapon at the pain of beaks breaking into his flesh. Link acted quickly and whacked one of the crows off him with his boomerang. The bird soared through the air and out the hole in the window. Link knocked the other crows off John. One of them hit the ground and was accidentally squished by John as he was stomping around trying to ease the pain. The other bird managed to stop in mid-air and turn around back at Link. Link braced himself for the collision. Suddenly, a shotgun blast was heard and the crow exploded in a mass of blood all over Link's face and upper body. He turned to Samus who was holding a smoking gun.

"Thanks, I just got this cleaned," he smiled at her.

Samus smiled back but quickly turned to John and Mike. John was standing up, a few bruises and blood on his arms and face. Mike was in worse condition. He was lying on the floor and breathing heavily while looking up at the ceiling. There were cuts and blood all over his upper body, especially his chest. Dana knelt at his side.

"Mike! Are you alright?" she asked almost sympathetically.

Mike swallowed blood in his mouth before saying, "I'm fine. I just need some time." He looked over at John, Link and Samus. "Thank you. You saved my life."

Link did not understand. Was this poor creature, the one who Link blamed for Snake's death, thanking him? Why did Link not feel that he should kick this man where he lay?

"The herbs..." Mike said, breathing heavily. "Do you have them?" John reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful full of the crumpled plants.

"Here," he replied.

"Put them over my wounds...quickly..."

Samus grabbed the herbs and started breaking them up and placing them on the wounds. Dana held the doctor's hand, tears forming in her eyes. Samus did her best to cover them all. They stung at the open wounds as the chemicals already started taking effect. Mike winced at the pain.

"Now...grab the First Aid Spray out of my left pocket."

Samus reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the green can. It was half empty (or half full if you like it that way).

"Spray a little bit over each wound."

Samus did as she was instructed. The pain came back and Mike closed his eyes. His breathing became slow.

"You'll be alright...You'll be alright..." Dana kept saying to herself.

Link stood by watching this dramatic scene. He examined his boomerang, which had bird guts all over it. He rubbed it off on the bottom of his shoe. John placed his gun that Samus dropped on the table. They waited silently as Dana clenched Mike's hand tighter. Sure enough, his eyes slowly opened. Dana started to cry. Mike smiled.

"Thank you Samus," he said as he felt the warm embrace of the girl next to him. That was the first time Samus had heard Mike call her by her name. It felt kind of weird but good to know that he was alright. As Link said earlier, no one deserved a death like that. Link turned to John.

"Will you be alright?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm not as bad as Mike was."

The wounds on Mike's chest and face were completely healed.

Samus was astounded at the healing powers of the First Aid Spray. Maybe she could ask Master Hand to make it an item in Smash Bros. if she ever got back.

"Is there any more of that spray?" Mike asked. Samus shook the can.

"A little, but not a lot," she replied.

"That should be enough to cover you."

Samus sprayed John's arms and his face, making sure not to hit his eyes. It stung at first, but soon John could feel his wounds lifting away.

"Ah, much better," he said happily. Samus placed the can on the table.

"We'll need more of that stuff if we're going to survive out here."

Link's boomerang was all clean now, but his face was still crimson from the blood. He left the scene and re-entered the bathroom.

"What were those things?" Dana asked, helping Mike to his feet. John didn't hesitate to answer.

"Crows. Crows that were feeding on infected flesh. You usually don't see that many of them in the city though..."

Samus looked to the door Link disappeared behind.

"That's not a good sign," she said.

"Let's get out of here. This place isn't safe anymore," said Mike, making his way to the staircase.

"But, where will we go? It's so dangerous out there," Samus replied. John folded his arms and closed his eyes. He looked like he was sleeping standing up.

"We either stay here and wait for more birds to show up, or we find somewhere else to take shelter," he said before opening his eyes again.

"Okay, let's wait for Link."

Link stared at the bloody Hylian in the mirror again.

"_What happened to you? You used to be so happy_."

The red face gave him a dull look. Link washed his face in the cool water. The sink was washing all the red down the drain. Link looked up at the clean face. He noticed a pair of eyes in the corner of the mirror. "_Someone's behind me_..." he thought cautiously. The eyes were joined by a dark face that he could not recognize. "_The shadow man again?_" The eyes met his and did not leave his. Link clenched his fists.

"Who are you?" he said out loud. The shadow's eyes got small. The shadow did not reply. "Why have you been following us?" Link asked. The shadow's eyes opened again.

"You are interesting to me..." the raspy voice replied.

Link did not know the voice. Who is this man that has been stalking him?

"What do you want?" Link narrowed his eyes on the figure. There was no answer. "Answer me!" he yelled turning around to the open window.

He froze. No one was there. He lowered his fist slowly.

"Who are you?" he asked again. A knocking came from the door.

"Link? Are you okay in there? You were yelling."

It was Samus' voice. Link reached for the doorknob, but not before looking back at the window. A cold wind blew in from outside. He turned the knob and went out to meet the others. Samus stood in front of him. "Are you okay?" she asked again.

Link didn't know what to say. He walked past her and the others until he reached the stairs. Mike stepped back from the staircase, intimidated by Link's facial expression. Dana took a few steps back too. John grabbed his gun and reloaded it with what little ammo he had left.

"Link?" Samus asked.

Link stopped and turned to Samus. She saw the terror in his eyes and nearly collapsed at the sight.

"It's not safe here. We have to leave. Now!"


	4. Enter: Leon Scott Kennedy

Into the Dark

* * *

Chapter 4: Enter: Leon Scott Kennedy

* * *

The full moon ascended over a field of dark clouds, its white light shining upon the wasteland that lay below. The cry of a distant baby could be heard over the crackling of fires. Police cruisers stood still with broken windshields and dented plating. Even an armored truck was overturned at the corner of a road. The bodies of men in green uniform littered the street. Blood slowly crept across the ground like legless zombies seeking out their next meal. Among the wreckage, shattered glass and chunks of cement lay still. They fell from buildings that were slowly burning into nothingness.

A lone figure could be seen making its way across these hazard obstacles. He tripped over the body of a mutilated cop, but did not look down at it. He leapt over a fallen street light and continued wandering his way through the city.

He passed by a chain-link fence and flinched at the sight on the other side of it. A large group of undead monsters were attempting to break through the fence. The chains rattled together and the moans of hungry voices filled the air. The stench was not too pretty either.

"_This looks all too familiar_," thought the man, staring at the horde of monsters.

He checked his attaché case to find a handgun and 30 extra clips. A First Aid Spray lay in the corner of the case. He took one last look at the deranged creatures, closed his case and continued running forward. A few blocks and flaming vehicles later, the man stopped in front of a Dollar Store.

He looked at his reflection in the window, which was intact except for a huge bloodstain on the right side of it. A body in casual clothes sat below it, its head down and staring at the ground.

The man was of medium height and had fair, brownish golden hair. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and his hair dangled down in front of his face from the right side. He stared at his hiking boots, which were soaked in blood and ash. His jeans were torn on the left knee and he wore a tight, black t-shirt which showed his torso muscles underneath. His arms were bulky and his attaché case was wrapped conformably around his waist. He straightened the black, fingerless gloves on his hands. His reflection smirked at his sharp face.

"_What the hell did you get yourself into?_" he asked the reflection.

"_I don't know, you tell me. You're the one that brought us here_," replied the reflection in his mind.

"_But...why?_"

The man froze at the sound of a shuffling noise behind him. He reached for his combat knife which hung securely in a holster near his left shoulder. He quickly unsheathed the small weapon and spun on his heel to confront his enemy. The man behind him flinched and froze on the spot when he realized a knife was up against his throat. The man in the blue trench coat swallowed.

"Um...evening, strangah," said the stranger.

The man in the black shirt lowered his weapon and holstered it.

"What? You again?" the man stuttered.

The man that had confronted him was a little shorter than he was. A dirty blue trench coat covered the man's head to his ankles, the hood of his trench coat folding over the top of his head. He wore tight black boots and a dark purple scarf which wrapped around the bottom half of his face so that only his eyes were revealed. The man was very dirty and his hands had crusty brown bandages around them. What little face he had was layered with cuts and scars and also what appeared to be a wart near the corner of his face. His blue eyes met the man in blacks.

"Ah, strangah. Good t'see you remembered me!" said the man in blue, swaying back and forth.

The other man was not amused.

"Why did you follow me here?" he asked.

The blue man laughed.

"Strangah! It's not hard to forget a face like yours! You really thought you left me on that island back there? Ha! Strangah, I followed you 'cause I thought you might need more ammunition on your mission!" The blue man was holding his stomach and let go when he stopped laughing. The fair haired man looked confused.

"Wait, what mission? And what are you talking about? I saw the island blow up with you on it. There's no way you could have survived," he said.

The blue man put his hand on the other man's shoulder.

"That's not important, strangah. The only reason I followed you here was to get some more cash 'cause I spent nearly all my life saving's when I decided to leave Europe and come to America," the man replied.

The armed man closed his eyes.

A lot had happened in the past month since he arrived back in the USA. He had been assigned by the president himself to save his daughter who had been abducted by some secret cult group called the Los Illuminados. On his mission in Spain, he encountered many undead creatures.

It all started when he was travelling across the country in the back of a car by two local cops. The cruiser stopped in the middle of a forest. He remembered getting out of the car and investigating a nearby cabin only to find a crazed man attempting to kill him with a hatchet. This was only the beginning.

The man would later emerge from the cabin to be ambushed by more possessed people. He would have to take them all down with his handgun. Not only that, but the two cops he was with would end up murdered by these villagers. One was burned at the stake in a nearby village. The other was fed to some kind of giant sea monster in the middle of a lake. This wasn't even the half of it.

The man would eventually find that the president's daughter was being held captive in a church. After finding her, he would be confronted by the leader of the Los Illminados, Osmund Saddler. He and the girl then found themselves running all over the area to get away from the deranged people. Along the way, they met a strange man in a blue trench coat who kept on insisting that they buy stuff from him. His ammo and weapons did come in handy. In the end, Saddler was killed and the island which was breeding the virus that plagued the village people was destroyed by a bomb. The merchant was supposedly killed along with it…until now.

The blue man took his hand off the other man's shoulder.

"So, you followed me here and you want to sell me your goods again?" asked the man in black.

"Yep! Let's get started, strangah," replied the man in blue as he opened his giant coat.

"Hold on. I don't think I have enough money to pay for your weapons."

The man looked down at the ground and then back at up again.

"Then...what are ya sellin'?" he asked.

"Nothing. I don't have anything. Aren't you at all affected by what's going on around here?"

The blue man looked around and coughed into his scarf.

"No."

The fair-haired man looked around too and turned his attention back at the merchant.

"There are dead people here. Not only that but there are walking dead here. Just like the ones I saw back in '98."

"Strangah, if I had a nickel for every dead person I've ever come across in my life, I'd be filthy stinkin' rich. There's nothing out of the ordinary here, strangah."

"And that's another thing. Stop calling me 'stranger'. My name is Leon. Leon Scott Kennedy. You would be smart to remember it."

The merchant froze for a few seconds.

"That's a dumb name, strangah."

Leon rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you can call me 'stranger,' just-"

He was cut off by the sound of painful moaning. Both of the men turned their attention up the street. A group of zombies were stumbling towards them, tripping over each other recklessly as they tried to get at their next meal. There were about a dozen of them. Leon pulled out his handgun but quickly reconsidered.

"_If these things are anything like what I've seen before, it takes more than one shot with a handgun to take them down for good_," he thought.

"Wow, strangah, there's a lot of 'em."

Leon turned and ran in the opposite direction. The merchant noticed and followed.

"Wait for me, strangah!"

He did not have to run far as he was stopped by another group of approaching zombies. Leon turned around again, the merchant stumbling to follow his stronger friend.

"Make up your mind strangah!"

Leon turned to the corner that had the chain-link fence in hopes that the zombies had left there and moved on. They didn't. They were cornered from every angle. Leon pulled out his gun and aimed it at the head of one zombie, but quickly switched to a closer target. There were just too many of them to handle with such a small gun.

The groaning became louder as Leon could smell the breath of the undead monsters from where he stood. Leon and the merchant backed up to the fence, but not close enough for the zombies to grab them from the other side.

"Damn, we're sandwiched pretty tight," Leon said under his breath.

"C'mon strangah, shoot 'em!"

"I can't! There's too many of them!"

The two groups of zombies were now one giant one as they made their way to the survivors. A sweat drop rolled down Leon's face.

"_There's not enough room for us to run past them_," he thought. Leon looked behind him at the creatures attempting to grab them through the fence. Their hands were crippled and skin was peeling off of them. "_And the fence is blocked off because of those guys_." Leon turned his attention back to the main group that were advancing more quickly now. "_If only I had a better gun...that's it!_" Leon turned to the merchant.

"Quick! Give me something with rapid fire!" he said to his dirty companion.

"Okay, strangah, but it's gonna cost ya."

Leon was disgusted by this man.

"How can you think of money at a time like this!? We'll get killed if you don't give me a weapon!"

"Sorry strangah, but that's business."

Leon glanced at the near and approaching mob.

"Alright, fine, how much?" he asked impatiently.

"That'll be-"

"Never mind, just take this, now give it to me!" Leon slammed his wallet into the merchant's clammy hands. He eyed the brown piece of leather with excitement.

"Heh, heh, thank you!" the merchant chimed. He reached into the bowels of his coat and pulled out a custom TMP. "Do you want the stock, strangah?"

"Just give it to me!" Leon swiped the weapon from the demented man and took aim at the first zombie he saw, which was nearly an arm's length in front of him. "Eat this!"

Leon unleashed the power of the automatic pistol, making sure to aim high, and causing the zombie head to immediately explode on contact with the bullet. The body collapsed and Leon did the same to the other monsters.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATA TATATATATATATAATATATATA

Click !

The chamber was empty. Unfortunately, there were still a couple of zombies standing. Leon switched the gun for his handgun and picked off the remaining stragglers. When all was silent (save for the zombies behind the fence) he turned to the merchant.

"Now was that so hard?" he asked, wiping sweat from his forehead. The merchant did not answer. He was examining the inside of Leon's wallet. Leon looked back at the monsters. "Let's get out of this area. Those guys are giving me the creeps." He moved out to the middle of the dark street, the merchant slowly following behind. Leon checked his new gun.

"I'll need some ammo for this."

The merchant did not reply.

"Hey. Why aren't you saying anything?"

Leon turned to the short man.

"Hey, strangah, who's this lady?"

The merchant showed Leon a picture of a young woman in a red tactical vest and shorts. She had brown hair and looked around the same age as Leon. She was smiling happily in front of the Raccoon City Police Department.

"Where did you get that?" Leon asked seriously.

"In here." The merchant held up the brown wallet.

"Hey, I said you could have the money in there. Leave my personal stuff alone!"

"I did take the money, strangah, but you don't have enough. You could sell me these pictures, though. I like this one a lot. She's pretty."

Leon snatched the picture and the wallet.

"I'm not selling you any of these!" he said, clutching the picture close and checking to make sure the short man didn't damage it.

"Well strangah, if you don't have enough to pay for the gun, I'll have to put it on your tab."

"Great," replied Leon sarcastically. "So how much do I owe you?"

The merchant pulled out a small calculator from his pocket and began to punch some numbers in. Leon tapped his foot on the ground while looking at the picture of the woman.

"_Claire...I hope you're okay. I hope you're not trapped in the middle of this nightmare like me_," Leon thought. He tucked the picture back into his wallet.

All that was left in the brown piece of leather was his driver's license, hunting license, two credit cards, a picture of Claire, a picture of Ashley Graham (the president's daughter), a picture of Leon and Claire, and a picture of a Plagas sample. Leon took out the Plagas sample picture and tore it in half, dropping it on the cold cement.

"Okay, strangah. Sez 'ere that you owe me exactly $5,545.17."

Leon's face turned red.

"You already took my money!"

The merchant put the calculator back into his pocket.

"I know, strangah. That did not pay for all of it though. That's the rest that you owe me."

"Wait, so I can't even get ammo to reload my TMP?"

"Well, you could. I'll just put it on your tab."

"Okay, then give me 300 rounds for this thing as well as 10 extra for my handgun."

"Heh heh. Thank you."

Leon took the ammo and reloaded his TMP. The remaining 200 his kept in his attaché case along with his handgun and ammo.

"Let's roll."

The two of them ran through the city as quickly as they could. Thankfully, they did not run past any more zombies, but they did go by plenty of bodies, overturned vehicles, fires, and barricades. Leon kept his TMP close to his chest, ready to fire at anything that seemed hostile.

"Man, this place sure went to hell," Leon said maneuvering around fallen signs and street lights.

"Yeah. So, uh, strangah, who was the lady in the picture?"

Leon was getting annoyed by him asking this.

"She's like a part of me I can't let go."

The merchant raised an eyebrow at his reply.

"Yeah, but who is she? She's sure got the looks. Is that why you have her picture, strangah?"

"She...she's an old friend. Someone who's helped me out of a jam more than once." This comment made Leon think about September 1998, when the first outbreak occurred. He was just a rookie back then. First day on the job at the R.P.D. and he has to go out and kill zombies. If it wasn't for Claire Redfield, he probably wouldn't have been able to survive it. But where was she now? Leon wanted to get off the topic.

"So, merchant, what's your story?" he started.

The merchant did not seem hesitant to reply.

"Let's just say, strangah, that I come from a long family chain of merchants, whose sole purpose in life is to make as much money as possible before death."

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"O...kay..."

The pair started walking at a simple pace now. The moon was creeping over the dark clouds. Gunfire could be heard from somewhere in the city. There must have been some kind of war going on somewhere. That was none of Leon's concern though. Further up ahead, Leon noticed a large group of zombies crowding around a local coffee shop. Leon and the merchant took cover behind a fallen pickup truck.

"What do you think they're waiting for?" Leon asked.

The merchant gave a surprised look.

"You're asking _me_? I'm not sure, me-self. How's about I sell you this single-fire rocket launcher for, oh, let's say $3000.00?"

Leon rolled his eyes again.

"Is that all you think about, really?"

"Well, it's all I have to think about."

Leon looked at the crowd.

"There may be survivors in there. We have to get them out."

The merchant smiled.

"Alright then! I'll just put it on your tab. There we go!" The merchant pulled out a rocket launcher with a single rocket mounted onto it. "I'm sure you know how to use this, you've had a lot of practice."

"Oh ,yeah," Leon replied.

He recalled the time in Spain where he fired a rocket at Saddler's true, mutated form, destroying it for good. Yeah, he's had enough practice.

Leon put away his TMP and mounted the rocket on his shoulder. He looked through the scope and aimed right into the center of the pack.

"_This should do it_."

He pulled the trigger. A hissing sound was heard as the rocket flew across the air. The zombies turned in the direction of the noise only to be obliterated into burned flesh and organs. Smoking blood and guts rained down from the sky. Leon dropped his empty weapon.

"Let's check it out."

Leon and the merchant made their way to the coffee shop and tried to open the front door. It was locked. The merchant checked the windows.

"It's locked, strangah."

Leon looked around. There has to be another way in. He noticed a bloody magnum gun on the ground.

"Huh?" He picked it up and wiped it on his jeans. "Since when do zombies use guns?"

The merchant eyed the weapon.

"Ah, she's a real beauty, strangah. I'll buy it at a high price!"

Leon put the gun in his attaché case.

"No way, we may need this later."

The merchant shrugged.

"Suit yourself, strangah."

Leon turned his attention back to the door.

"_Maybe I can knock it down?_" he thought to himself. Leon lifted his leg up high before dropping it down on the doorknob and shattering it instantly.

"Good thing those freaks never thought of that," Leon joked to himself. The merchant did not laugh. "Alright, let's see what we've got."

Leon pushed the door open with his right hand, TMP ready in the other. The shop was empty. Tables and chairs lay neatly in rows like they were never touched. A jukebox and a vending machine stood silently on opposite corners of the room. Public restrooms stood idly to the side. The only suspicious thing Leon noticed was two half-eaten cartons of vanilla ice cream on the counter. Four spoons lay scattered on the floor.

"Looks like there was someone in here." Leon looked to the kitchen. "You, go see if there's anything back there."

The merchant did as he was told and went into the back room. Leon scanned the room one more time. No sign of undead life anywhere. He sniffed the air to make sure. His nose twitched at the scent of rotting guts. Leon turned to the nearby stairs and looked up. It was coming from up there.

"Hey, I'm going to check out the second floor," he called to his companion. The merchant replied from behind the wall.

"Alright strangah, no worries here. Take your time."

Leon cautiously walked up the stairs, TMP at ready just in case. He stuck his head up from the steps.

"Coast is clear."

He walked up onto the carpeted floor. Small bloodstains soaked silently on the green floor. Black feathers were also scattered all over the floor. An empty can of First Aid Spray sat on the coffee table. Leon could not believe how barren the room was. Whoever was here must have packed up and left in a hurry. Leon flinched at the site of a huge bloodstain on the west wall. Something must have hit it hard, but what?

A bathroom door was open on the other side of the room. Leon went over and inspected it. Everything seemed fine except for a little blood in the sink. The open window let in a chilling breeze. Leon shivered and closed it quickly.

"_Something's not right_..."

Leon went back out into the living room and noticed a smashed window. He slowly walked over to it and peaked his head out. Nothing but empty buildings and bloody streets. He turned his head to come back in, when suddenly, a black bird flew up and almost hit him in the face. Leon reacted quickly and brought his head back into the room.

A crow landed outside on the window sill. It seemed to be wounded as it was dropping blood wherever it hopped.

"_There's something wrong with this bird_."

Its eyes were bloodshot and its beak was a dark red color. Leon held his TMP at eye level, ready to shoot in case this thing attacked. Oddly enough, it didn't. It just stared at Leon right in the eye. The crow raised its head up high and strained it neck. It started to screech loudly.

The noise was ear-shattering. Leon fought back the pain of the sound piercing his ear drums. He acted on instinct and shot the crow 3 times with his TMP. The crow stopped cawing, and fell down two stories before exploding on the ground.

"Whew."

Leon turned to go back downstairs but stopped upon hearing another sound. This sound was similar to the one the crow made except it was much louder. It sounded like it was coming from multiple crows as well. Wild flapping could be heard outside the window in the city. Leon could see the fear in his face through the reflection on the broken window.

"Oh no."

Suddenly, a huge black wave of feathers burst through the open window and headed straight for Leon. Leon dodged to the side, barely missing the huge mass of birds. The wave turned and was circling the room up high. There must have been hundreds of them. Leon quickly holstered his TMP as he backed up into a corner. The crows circled him like vultures searching for a fallen animal.

Leon looked to the staircase. If he was fast enough, he could dive under the crows and make it to the stairs. It was risky though, because if the crows saw him going for it, they would immediately ambush him. He had to time it just right. One of the crows leading the way dive bombed Leon. The rest followed.

Leon took the small window of opportunity and made a run for it.

He dove under the wave before they crashed into the wall. He did not recover on time when he reached the stairs, losing his balance at the top and tumbling down the wooden floorboards. Thirteen steps later, Leon was at the bottom of the stairway. He checked his body for any bruises or broken bones. A few cuts here and there, but nothing critical. He turned to see the crows dive down towards him.

He made a mad dash for the kitchen, shouting as he ran in and slamming the door behind him. He turned around, breathing heavily.

"Ugh...strangah?"

Leon looked up to see the merchant by the stove cooking some french-fries.

"Um, strangah, what's goin' on?"

Leon looked around the room. No exits anywhere. He went to the back and noticed the freezer door open as well as a frozen body next to it.

"Damn, we're trapped."

The merchant stopped what he was doing and went over to Leon.

"Strangah, who's out there?"

Leon did not have time to answer this man's question. There was loud slamming coming from the door. The bastards were trying to ram it down. Leon took another scan of the room.

"There's got to be something we can use in here!"

He looked at the body on the floor and at the open freezer. Inspiration struck him.

"Merchant, I'm going to need your help."

The crows burst through the door and started circling the kitchen like they did upstairs. Leon and the merchant were nowhere to be found. The freezer was open and overcooked fries were burning on the stove. The crows continued to circle until they heard a voice coming from the freezer.

"Oh no! I hope they don't find us here! In the freezer!"

The crows immediately dove into the freezer and attacked the frozen body that was leaning against the back. Once all the crows flew in, the freezer door started closing from behind. Leon and the merchant pushed with all their might, completely shutting and locking it just in time. Leon fell on the ground panting.

"My God...we did it."

The merchant offered a hand.

"Yeah, good work strangah. You sure do know how to think on your feet."

Leon grabbed his hand and pulled himself up.

"Thanks."

The merchant's eyes got wide.

"Oh no!" he cried.

"What?! What?!" Leon pulled out his TMP ready for action.

"Strangah! My fries are burning!" The merchant ran over to the stove to find that his fries that he had been cooking for the past ten minutes were on fire. He quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher on the wall and put out the flames. Leon holstered his weapon and sighed.

"Oh well. Better to have burnt fries than be pecked to death by crazed birds."

The merchant cleared the foam out of the way and looked at the black, shriveled potatoes on in the oven.

"Aww, now I gotta start all over…"

* * *

Outside and a little farther up the block, a group of zombies were chasing down a small group of survivors. Samus, being the most agile of them all, lead the way.

"Quickly! This way!" Link, John, Mike, and Dana followed closely behind. The zombies were soon becoming figures in the distance as the humans easily outran them. Samus took a left turn into a dark cemetery. Hopefully, those things couldn't see in the dark and would have trouble finding them. Mike went and leaned on a nearby oak tree.

"Man, I'm out of shape," he panted.

John checked his shotgun. He had six shots left in the weapon and that was all.

"_Better save these when we need them_," he thought to himself.

Link leaned over and held his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Dana went and sat on a tombstone. Samus was the first to speak.

"Okay, we can't just keep running from these things. We need a plan."

John swung his shotgun onto his back.

"We need to get to your ship so we can get out of here!" he said.

Mike raised his hand.

"Or we could go to the R.P.D. I'm sure they're fortified. They probably have food and choppers there waiting to evacuate people before they nuke the place."

Link hadn't thought of that. He had to hand it to him, this Mike guy was smarter than he looked. Perhaps maybe he can forgive this man for causing Snake's death? No, he couldn't do that.

"The R.P.D. is a good idea," John agreed.

"Which one's closer from here?" Link asked.

"I'm not sure."

Dana swung her legs impatiently on the tombstone.

"We could look for other survivors. With enough people, we could have a fighting chance against these things," Samus suggested.

"There's no way I'm going near those things!" replied Mike.

Link agreed. That was not a good idea. They needed to get out of here, not liberate the city. That was the police force's job. The moaning of the zombies could be heard getting closer.

"We should go," said Samus.

Dana screamed. Link quickly pulled out his hookshot and aimed where Dana was. He could not see the monster.

"It's got my foot!" cried Dana as she kicked the hand off her ankle. The hand that poked out from underground started searching for Dana's feet again. She backed away and went to Link's side who just stared at it.

"It affects the bodies in the cemetery too!?"

Suddenly more hands started popping out of the ground. Whole bodies soon began emerging from the earth. Some of them weren't even zombies. Skeletal creatures made entirely of bone struggled to pull themselves from their earthly prison.

"Move!" Samus cried, already ahead of the group. The others followed again. More zombies were approaching from behind.

"These things just don't give up!" said John.

Samus noticed a large blue building up ahead that had white letters imprinted on the top. "R.P.D." There may be hope for survival after all!

"Guys this way!" she called back.

Link held the rear of the group, looking behind him every now and then to see how close the zombies were. They were behind, but they were gaining. The will to feed must have been greater than the will to survive.

Samus ran up to the main gate, which was locked by a chain. She looked up the ten foot metal barrier. It was climbable.

"Over the gate! Hurry!"

John came over and gave Samus a boost over the bars. She landed safely on the other side. Dana ran up to John and he boosted her up over the top, falling into Samus' arms on the other side. Mike and Link were still behind. John waited impatiently at the gate while other zombies started coming from all around. Mike made to the gate next and began climbing up with John's help. Link made it last just as Mike landed on the other side. He turned back one more time before giving John a large boost up the gate. He had trouble getting over the top, but he made it over after a few pulls. Samus looked at Link on the other side.

"Link, come on!"

The zombies were closing in on Link's position. He took a few quick steps back and fired his hookshot at the top of the gate. It hooked and the chain pulled him up the metal bars. He landed safely on the other side.

The R.P.D. stood before the group of survivors. Link turned around to see the rotting faces of the undead try to break through the metal barrier. The chain held it in place.

"There's a chopper pad on the roof," said John. "We should be able to find someone who can help us out inside."

The others nodded and they all went down the path to the front door. Some green plants lay idly on both sides of the door.

"Grab those herbs, they have a special healing power that we may need," said Mike. John pocketed some in his bloody vest. He then opened the grand doors and took a step inside. Mike and Dana followed. Link looked back down the path at the bloody mob. One of them made an attempt to climb over the gate but fell and broke its neck.

"There's no way they can get in, can they?" The gates were being rattled by the mutated hands that grabbed them.

"Come on Link, we'll be out of here soon." Samus went inside.

Link turned to the large doors, but not before glancing back to see a cloaked figure standing on a roof in the distance.


	5. Fall Back!

Into the Dark

* * *

**Author's Note:** Review please! I need to know if this story is entertaining at all. Otherwise I'm just wasting my time!

* * *

Chapter 5: Fall Back!

* * *

"Whoa," said Link, walking into the main hall of the R.P.D. Samus stood beside him, admiring the view as well.

"This place is nice... but there's no one here!" she said.

John was up further looking at a statue of a woman that stood in the centre of the room. Mike and Dana were wandering around.

"Where is everybody? I thought that they would be evacuating people here!"

The room was a dull brown colour with dirty tiles lined up on the floor. A second and third floor balcony could be seen above them. Some doors stood on the sides of the room. A main desk was also up the small stairs with a computer and a typewriter.

Dana noticed a man slouching in a rolling chair in front of the computer. He seemed to be alive so she felt it was okay to go and see him. The others were too busy with their surroundings to notice. She walked up to the man and tried to smile, but could not. The stranger looked up at her with brown eyes. He looked like an average middle-age man. He wore a bloody R.P.D. uniform minus the hat. His hair was dark brown and his face had a cut on its right cheek. A thin mustache crawled above his mouth.

"Oh, more survivors..." he started. "It's too late now. They left without us."

Dana looked confused.

"Who left without us?"

The man struggled to stand up and nearly lost his balance. Regardless of his bad posture, he still stood rather tall compared to the girl. Probably as tall as Snake.

"The other survivors. They were evacuated by chopper and were dispatched to another city not far from here. I came too late. They left me here to die. I've been waiting for almost three hours now. No one is coming. I can't even make radio contact with the outside." The zombies could be heard gathering outside the building. "Now those things are trying to break in." Dana took a step back.

"So, no one's coming?" she asked sadly.

The officer shook his head.

"In 12 hours, the city will be blown apart by a government missile. Anyone caught in the blast will be killed instantly. There is no escaping it. I have no way of getting out of here..."

Dana turned to her friends who were by the front door, barricading it with their bodies.

"They're trying to break in!" Samus called.

"Damn, these things are strong!" John said, looking over to Mike who was having trouble holding down the large double doors. He looked over at Dana.

"Dana! Get out of here! There's no time!"

Dana froze. Would this be the end? These people who she only just met would be killed in front of her own eyes. But she could not blame Mike. He made a vow to her...

Groaning and grunting sounds came from behind the door.

"Dana, go! We'll handle this!" Link called back.

Dana nodded and made a run for the nearest door. She stopped in front of it and looked to the lonely officer.

"Aren't you coming?"

The cop sat back down in his seat.

"What's the point? It's only a matter of time before they break in anyway."

Dana's heart sank. Could this really be the end? No, she's come too far to give up now, but she could not just leave this man to rot by his lonesome. She ran over and grabbed his hand to pull him up.

"Come on, those guys can give us enough time to get out of here."

The officer frowned.

"But where would we go? We can't get out of here without a chopper."

"We do have a chopper," she lied.

The man looked at her in the eyes.

"Wait, really? No kidding?"

"Uh, yeah," she muttered. "Well, it's not really a chopper, but it does fly. It's over in the forest. If we can make it there, we can get out of the city before it explodes."

The officer's face brightened up.

"What's your name?" he asked suddenly.

"Dana. Dana Komar."

The officer pulled out a handgun and reloaded it with what ammo he had left.

"Well, Miss Komar, I'm James Papineau. Nice to meet you." Dana could not help but smile at how this man's mood had changed so suddenly. He got up from his seat and glanced at the side exit. "Alright, let's go." Both of them disappeared through the door.

Mike turned around to see the spot where Dana had been standing empty.

"_Good, she's safe_," he thought.

Link had his back leaned against the heavy door.

"It's no use! They're still coming through!" he yelled.

Samus had to think quickly. There must be something in the room they could use. If these things broke in, there would be nowhere in the building to run.

"Fall back!" She ordered.

All four of the survivors leapt back from the door, and almost immediately the doors swung open and the undead mob rushed in.

"Quickly! In here!" Samus ran for the door Dana and James went through.

"No! Dana went that way! We'll be leading them right to her!" Mike called, running for a door on the opposite side. Their retreat was unorganized. Mike and Samus both went in completely different directions. The mob split up and went for both of them. Link and John were now trapped near the back of the hall with zombies coming from all directions.

"We're trapped!" cried John. Link looked around. He was right, they were trapped. There was nowhere to run and more zombies were still coming in through the front gate. Link reached for his hookshot and aimed at the second floor balcony.

"_Don't fail me now_," he thought, and shot the hook at the metal railing. "Hold on to me!" John grabbed Link around the waist and the chain carried both of them to the second floor. They fell over each other when they hit the railing and both started panting on the floor. Link quickly stood up and looked over the edge. The zombies could not get up to where they were without taking a stairway. The other members of the undead mob were attempting to break through the locked doors Samus and Mike went through.

"Darn, those things just don't give up, do they?" Link said to his older friend.

"Link! More of them!"

Link turned to see three zombies stumbling towards him.

"How did they get up here?" Link said, pulling out his hookshot and blasting the head off of a monster.

"I don't know. They must have been here from the beginning," John replied. Link finished off the other two and made a run for a nearby door.

"We have to get to the roof. Maybe we can signal for evac."

John looked at the first floor with all the monsters.

"What about the others?" he asked. Link grasped the doorknob.

"Samus is a strong girl, she'll be fine. I saw Dana with a cop so he should keep her out of harm's way. I'm not too sure about Mike, though."

"I hope their okay..."

"Me too, John. Me too."

* * *

He opened the wooden door and they both went into the next room.

Dana and James made their way down an empty blue hallway. The zombies must not have come through here yet because everything smelled normal. James checked his chamber to see how much ammo he had. 18 shots. Not bad, but that's all he had. He looked down at the girl walking next to him.

"So, Dana, what do you think our best plan of escape would be?" he asked casually.

Dana thought for a moment. If they could not go outside of the building, that left only one option.

"The roof?" she replied.

"Bingo. Unfortunately, I just started working for the R.P.D. yesterday, so I have no idea where the nearest stairway is."

Dana looked around.

"I...I'm not sure either."

James stuck his head around the corner to see if there were any monsters. Nope. They continued walking down the hallway. Closed windows lined the east wall, but it was too dark to see anything outside. He put his hand in front of Dana to halt her walk.

"Careful, something's not right in this hallway."

Dana nodded and walked cautiously behind her companion. James held his handgun up high, ready to fire at the slightest sign of movement. He stopped when he saw a headless man on the ground, blood seeping out of his neck where it had been severed. "Damn, Vince..." James made the sign of the cross over his fallen comrade. "Looks like I'm not the only rookie cop here." Dana examined the body on the floor. A clear, viscous fluid could be seen dropping from the ceiling and landing on the body. Dana looked up in horror.

There on the ceiling was a monster she had never encountered in this nightmare. It looked like a human that was inside out. It was a pinkish crimson colour and its muscles could be seen straining to keep itself up there. The top part of its head looked like a giant brain and longer claws which it used to hold itself up were lined all over its hands and feet. The creature opened its sharp fangs to reveal a long, spear-like tongue which had been dropping saliva on the dead body. Dana screamed.

"James! Up there!"

James barely had time to react before the creature pounced on him from the ceiling. He dropped his gun into the pool of blood from the headless man.

"Ahh! Get off me!"

The creature attempted to bite James' head off but he pushed it back, struggling to keep it away with his bleeding hands.

"Dana! Go! Save yourself!"

Dana did not move. She was tired of running away. Too many people had been hurt or killed just for her sake. She was sick of it. She picked up James' handgun and fired a round into the creature's brain at point-blank range. Dana flinched back from the recoil of the small weapon. The creature howled in pain as blood started raining down from its head. It jumped off of James and crawled fast towards the girl. James grabbed the creature in the back legs as it was getting away.

"Get away from her!" he yelled at the monster. Dana fired another shot into the creature's skull. It started shaking and it was confused on which enemy to kill first. James was losing his grip because of the creature's super-human strength. Dana fired one last bullet into the center of the creature's face, making it keel over and fall on the floor. It twitched a few times before becoming completely silent. Blood seeped across the floor from the creature's head and Dana dropped her weapon on the floor. She began to cry. James quickly stood up and came to her side.

"Hey, take it easy! You did good, Dana!" Dana wouldn't stop crying.

"That was the first time I ever killed anything!" she bellowed. James helped her up.

"Don't worry, you saved my life! That thing had no right to live. You did what you had to do." She wiped the tears from her face with her bloody hands. James patted her on the back and picked up his handgun. "Let's go. The sooner we get to the roof, the sooner we can get out of here."

Dana nodded and began to take a step forward. Suddenly, a brown hand broke through the window and started pulling her towards it. She screamed again.

"James! Help!"

James holstered his gun and grabbed Dana's arms. He pulled with all his might to get her back into the hall. He put his foot up against the wall to give him more leverage. The zombified hand let go and both survivors fell onto the wall. Dana and James were panting.

"Man, that was-" he was interrupted when more hands started breaking through the glass. Eventually, whole bodies of the undead started coming through. "Come on!" said James, grabbing Dana's hand and running for the door.

* * *

"Ah, strangah, those were the best fries I've ever eaten. Well, not as good as me mum's though."

"Yeah, I needed that. Let's go."

Leon and the merchant exited the coffee shop and looked up and down the street. No zombies. They continued moving.

"Strangah, I've been thinking. What exactly are you doing 'ere anyways?" Leon looked at his blue friend.

"What am _I _doing here? I should be asking you the same thing!"

The merchant was not moved.

"I already told you that I came here to make some cash, strangah. Now, what are_ you _doing in a city infested with monsters?"

"_Should I tell this man my real objective? Can I even trust him?_" Leon thought. "_Well, I guess if he won't leave me alone, I might as well_..." Leon reached into his wallet and pulled out the picture of Claire.

"I'm looking for her," he said plainly. The merchant eyed the photo with eager eyes.

"The pretty lady? Oh, strangah, now _that's_ a weapon!"

Leon was not amused by his comment.

"I could be wrong, but I have a feeling she's somewhere here in the city. I've got to get her out of here if it's the last thing I do."

The merchant chuckled.

"Oh, I see how it is strangah..."

Leon put the photo away.

"What?"

"You got the hots for that one, dontcha, strangah?"

Leon blushed.

"What!? No! She's an old friend who I think I owe my life to!"

The merchant laughed heartily.

"Then why do you carry her picture around, strangah?"

"It's, uh, so I...don't forget what she looks like."

The merchant raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, strangah, you must be very forgetful."

"Um, yep. Sure am."

"I'm surprised you know how to use that weapon I gave you."

Leon frowned.

"Look, I'm not stupid. I'm just not very good with faces," Leon lied.

"You remembered me, strangah."

"Yeah, well, you're pretty distinctive looking. There's no way I could forget about you."

"Ah, strangah, good point."

They passed by a dead cop. The merchant went over and begun inspecting his body. Leon went further a few steps before noticing the merchant had stopped.

"Hey, what are you- Gah!" The merchant had completely stripped the body of everything except for a pair of white boxers. The merchant had a bunch of clothing and other personal items in his hands.

"Heh, heh."

"Hey, put those back, they don't belong to you!"

"Aw come on, he's not going to need these anymore, strangah." Leon rolled his eyes as the merchant waddled over to him. "Now let's get down to business. What're ya buyin'?" Leon's eyes went wide.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"How much are ya willin' ta pay for this tactical vest, strangah?"

"I'm not buying anything you stole off that man!"

"How about these one-of-a-kind R.P.D. uniform pants? They're rare in these parts, strangah."

"No they're not! Every cop in the city wears those!"

"Yeah, but these are in pretty good condition. Are ya sure you don't want 'em?"

"I'm out of here!"

"Wait, strangah! What about this black nightstick. I'm sure you could kill hundreds of zombies at once with this- hey, where ya goin'?" Leon was ahead of the merchant by a few feet. The merchant was encumbered by all his new merchandise, but he still tried his best to keep up with the man in black.

"If you don't drop those things, I'm not letting you follow me anymore!"

"Come on, strangah! How about this handgun? The chamber seems to be a bit busted, but I'm sure it works fine!"

Leon stopped walking abruptly, the merchant still approaching from behind.

"Changed our minds, have we?"

"What are those things?"

Up ahead in a clearing on the road, two green monsters were hunched over and pacing back and forth.

"_They seem familiar, but I don't know what they are_..." Leon thought.

The creatures had long claws on their bulky fore arms. Their legs looked really powerful and seemed to pack a lot of muscle. They did not seem to have a face, save for a mouth complete with a whole set of razor sharp fangs. They were growling and pacing, almost like they were looking for something...

"Those things are blocking our path. We have to get rid of them," said Leon.

"I've got just the thing, strangah!" The merchant dropped all of his new belongings and searched his coat for a weapon. After a few seconds, he pulled out a large semi-automatic rifle with a scope. "This gun's not just about shootin', it's about relo-"

"Yeah, yeah, just give it to me." Leon grabbed the large weapon and took aim from his scope. He aimed right at the first creature's head and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the air and the creature keeled over, dead. "Alright!"

"Nice shootin', strangah."

Leon looked through the scope again, but could not find the second creature.

"Hey, where'd he go?"

He brought his head up from the gun to see a dark green figure jump 30 feet in the air. Leon dropped his gun as the creature dive-bombed him. He dodged, barely missing it and causing the monster to land right on top of the merchant.

"Help! Strangah!"

Leon acted fast. He gave a swift kick into the hind of the creature, sending it flying through the window of a drug store.

"You okay?"

The merchant got up just fine.

"Careful strangah, you'll hurt my merchandise!"

The creature emerged from the store and started galloping towards the survivors. Leon pulled out his knife and ran towards it too. They dashed for each other in the middle of the torn street. The green monster leaped into the air with its claws poised to slice. It came down and slashed at Leon. Leon dodged with a backflip and threw his knife at the creature when it was open to attack. The knife landed right in its face and the monster cried in pain. Leon ran up to it and grabbed the knife. He kicked the creature in the chest, hurling it into a stop sign. The creature had no time to recover as it soon found a combat knife lodged in its forehead. The creature sank its head down. Leon pulled out the knife and wiped off the red blood on the bottom of his shoe.

"Crazy frog thing."

The merchant ran over to his side.

"Strangah, you left your weapon back there. Here."

Leon took the rifle graciously.

"Thanks." He swung the gun over his back and put the knife back in his holster. "This is getting ridiculous. What was that thing?"

"Not sure, strangah."

"Maybe it-" Leon was cut off by the groans of zombie approaching from the south. "Not again..." Leon and the merchant resumed their run.

* * *

The moon had risen high up over the bleeding city below. Not even the sound of police sirens could be heard. Most of the city's civilians were either evacuated or turned into monsters. Roads lay torn up and burnt by nearby fires. In 12 hours, the city would be completely 'sanitized' of all this evil. Hopefully no one would speak of this tragedy ever again.

An army truck sat over turned on the corner of a road. Dead bodies in green uniforms lay around it in puddles of blood. Among the wreckage a group of zombies moved slowly up the road from the cry as a hunter's war cry motivated their search for more food. They did not stop for anything. Their only will to move on was the need for sustenance. They tripped over each other clumsily. Among the group, an undead man in a pair of white boxers led the way.


	6. Separated

Into the Dark

* * *

**Author's Note:** Those of you who have played Resident Evil 2 would know the exact setting this part of the story takes place. I meant to say that last chapter but I completely forgot... anyways... yeah, here's chapter 6.

* * *

Chapter 6: Separated

* * *

Mike made his way cautiously through the reception area. The zombies were way behind him now. He was hoping the locked doors he left for them would keep them busy.

"_What do I do? I'm trapped in a building full of monsters!_" he thought, going behind a secretary's desk to look for any kind of weapon. All that was behind the desk was a green rolling chair and a blue diary. Mike scanned the room for anything else. There were no windows in the room. A couple of waiting chairs sat idly near the door he came through and some magazines lay scattered on a small table near them. Mike wanted to go into the next room, but fear held him down.

"_What if there were more monsters on the other side of the door? What if there were dead bodies? Would it be better if I just stayed here and waited for them to come find me? Or would they really leave me here for dead?_"

He thought about Snake, the tall, scruffy-looking man he saw get surrounded by zombies. He thought about how Link had blamed him for Snake's death.

"_It wasn't my fault_," Mike thought. "_If it wasn't for me, all three of us would be dead_."

Mike continued to tell himself this, but the fear kept clawing at his heart, forcing him to sit down behind the desk. He slouched over and held his head.

"_I have a headache_…"

His jacket was getting dirt all over the clean seat. He needed more time to think. There had just been too much going on for him to handle. Mike looked into his reflection on the shiny desk in front of him. A tired man's face stared back at him.

"I'm a doctor aren't I? I'm not helpless," Mike told the reflection.

The reflection gave an evil smile.

"_You're not a doctor_," replied the fake image. "_You're nothing but a wuss and a coward. You killed that man_."

Fear started shooting into Mike's eyes as they widened.

"No, I didn't! Those monsters ate him! There was nothing I could do! I-"

"_Ran away like the worm you are_."

"No, I-"

"_You murdered a man. A man that could have proven valuable to the team more than you have_."

"But...I...I-I saved Dana! And John, didn't I?"

"_You didn't 'save' anyone! If they were smart, they would have fed you to the monsters as bait so they could make their escape! It would be the only use they would ever get out of you!_"

Mike stared down at his reflection.

"You're wrong," he said.

"_I'm__ wrong? Oh, right, you're the big shot 'doctor' who can supposedly save everyone's life. Well guess what, hotshot? You can't even save yourself! Do you hear those noises on the other side of the door?_"

Mike listened to the forceful knocking on the door. Moaning could also be heard in the background. His reflection continued to mock its master.

"_Soon those things will come in here and they'll get you. But they know that you killed an innocent man, and for that, they'll punish you more than their other victims_."

Mike leaned back in his chair, trying to get away from his reflection.

"No…"

"_Yes they will_."

His reflection seemed to rise out of the clear desk and pursue Mike in his efforts to retreat.

"_They'll find you_."

"No…"

"_They'll kill you_."

"No..."

Mike could hear his own voice cracking up.

"_They'll turn you into one of them!_"

"No! Don't let them get me! You must stop them!"

"_I won't do anything. I know you've been bad. They know you've been bad. In this life, bad people are punished for their crimes, and there is only one ultimate punishment for murder: DEATH!_"

"NOOO!"

Mike kicked the desk and it flipped across the room and smashed into the wall. He fell out of his chair and onto the cold, hard floor. He looked about the room. No one had come in.

Mike smiled.

"I will not die."

The smile disappeared from his face. He knew that in the room, his reflection was gone, but the voice was still there. He could hear the voices in his head, pounding at his eardrums. He covered his ears, but the icy voice still rang through his head.

"_MURDERER!_"

"Go away!"

Mike stood up, grabbed the chair and started beating it into the over-turned desk.

"GO AWAY! GO AWAY!"

"_MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER!_"

The drumming of the voice echoed louder and louder.

"Leave me alone! I don't want to die! They won't get me! They can't!"

"_They will! They know your secret! Link knows your secret and the others are catching on! They're all against you Mike! You have to stop them before they kill you! The zombies are coming! There aren't enough options!_"

"What can I do!? They'll get me! They want to eat me! I don't want to die!"

With that Mike threw the chair at the desk and they both fell to the ground with a loud thud. Mike stood with his fingers clenched. Blood was running down his arm. He must have knocked it off of something when he was thrashing around.

"I don't want to die..." he said again.

The voice lingered in his head.

"_You have to kill them, Michael. Kill them all. They'll turn against you and feed you to the monsters if you don't. You must kill them_."

"I can't. Without them I have no hope of escaping the city."

"_You must lie to them. Pretend to be their friend. And be patient. Wait for the opportune moment to strike. And when you do, steal their ship and fly away from here. Far away from here_."

"Fly away. Fly away from here," he said.

"_Yes, far away. It's your only hope for survival_."

"But...what about Dana? I promised-"

"_Promises are only going to get you killed! You cannot trust her. She would sooner turn on you than the boy in the green hat! You must kill them all_."

"Kill them all."

"_Kill them all_."

"I must kill them all."

"_Murderer.._."

Mike closed his eyes tight.

"_I need to get out of here_," he thought. "_I must_."

The voice in his head disappeared and Mike stared at the wreckage he had just caused. Wallpaper was torn off the wall and items scattered across the carpet, as if a tornado had just torn through the room. The secretary's diary laid on the floor, open to the last entry. The doctor breathed heavily and made his way to the far door.

* * *

Samus ran through the narrow hallway. She had noticed zombies coming in through the broken windows and turned around to go in the other direction. A single door stood in front of her. She turned around again to see the zombies coming and she opened the door. She barged into an office, locking the door behind her.

A table stood in the center completely covered with items and garbage. Samus noticed a can of First Aid Spray and picked it up. A black duffle bag hung around a chair on the other side of the room. She went over and slung it over her shoulder, putting the can inside it. She also found a handgun on the table with 10 rounds still tucked in the chamber.

"_Finally, a weapon_," she thought.

The lack of blood stains in the room signified that no zombies had intruded yet. She knew that would all change in a few minutes. She took a crowbar off of the table and put it in the bag.

Samus went into the office and found a body. This body was not on the ground though. It was hanging from a rope strung to the light on the ceiling. The name tag on the officer's chest was scratched out.

"_He hung himself_," thought, shivering a bit. "_At least he's not going to attack me_."

She noticed a small, black safe in the corner. There must be something special in there. She looked on the nearby desk to see papers scattered about. Some of them contained info on the creatures outside. Samus took a strange interest in these documents. She looked at a paper that was on top. A photograph of a green, frog-like monster was paper-clipped to the front. She read the document.

_Document Number: 34A_

_Creature Number: 225RF6_

_Code Name: Hunter_

_Discovered: September 12, 1998, below Umbrella Research Facility_

_Description: Reptilian monsters that hunt in packs and attack with claws._

_Weight: 165 lbs._

Could this be one of the creatures roaming the city? Samus picked up another one. This one had a picture of a pink, fleshy creature with a brain-like head and long tongue.

_Document Number: 20A_

_Creature Number: 316DX7_

_Code Name: Licker_

_Discovered: September 28, 1998, Raccoon City_

_Description: Humans with secondary exposure to the T-Virus. Uses a lance-like tongue to grab enemies and eat them alive._

_Weight: 188 lbs._

Samus placed these two in her bag and started reading some more. She picked up three more and examined the picture of each: a dog, a centipede and a large humanoid creature.

_Document Number: 14A_

_Creature Number: 762CB1_

_Code Name: Cerberus_

_Discovered: September 9, 1998, Umbrella Training Facility_

_Description: Dogs that have been infected with the virus. Very agile creatures with a keen sense of smell._

_Weight: 114 lbs._

_Document Number: 7A_

_Creature Number: 126CT6_

_Code Name: Centurion_

_Discovered: September 9, 1998, Umbrella Training Facility_

_Description: Centipedes that have been infected with the virus. Thought to be extinct, though one was discovered beneath Raccoon City recently._

_Weight: 430 lbs._

_Document Number: 18A_

_Creature Number: 328TF3_

_Code Name: Tyrant_

_Discovered: September 13, 1998, Umbrella Research Facility_

_Description: Super soldiers created by Umbrella. Wield sharp, spear like weapons on their hands and rely on brute power._

_Weight: 278 lbs._

Samus took all these files and stored them into her duffle bag. She looked at a photo on the corner of a desk. It showed a picture of a young man with a beautiful woman and a young girl smiling happily in front of a small house. Samus looked up at the hanging man behind her.

"_Must be his family_."

She left the office and heard banging coming from the other side of the door. Groaning echoed through her ears as the monsters rammed the wooden barrier. Samus immediately pushed a heavy desk in front of the door. She quickly scanned the room.

"_No windows or doors. I'm trapped_."

She ducked behind the messy table and aimed her pistol at the noisy door.

"_If I have to go down, I'm going down fighting_."

* * *

Link and John ran for their lives as two Lickers came crawling down the hallway towards them. They turned a corner, only to be ambushed by a group of parading zombies.

"Not again!" yelled John. This was not good. Link closed his eyes and thought the problem through. He had been through tougher situations before.

Right now, the two could do one of three options:

Attempt to fight back the Lickers with 6 shotgun shells and a hookshot.

Attempt to fight back the zombies with 6 shotgun shells and a hookshot.

Jump out the window.

In any case, they would end up dying or hurt bad at the least.

Link opened his eyes. There had to be a way to fight both of these things at once. Suddenly, a lance-like tongue shot out of one of the Lickers' mouths and went straight for Link. He quickly side-stepped as the tongue launched passed him before retracting.

"_That's it!_"

"Do you have a plan?" asked John.

"Sure do. Follow my lead!"

Link planted his feet firmly on the ground, ignoring the zombies approaching from the side. The lead Licker reared back and shot its tongue out again. Link dodged the attack and grasped the slimy tongue with his hands.

"Grab it!" he ordered. John grabbed it firmly in his hands. The creature made an attempt to retract its tongue but failed in pain.

"Now what?!" John yelled over the moaning. Link looked to the window and nodded at John. John read Link's eyes and shook his head. "No way!"

"We have no choice! Come on!"

Link and John pulled with all their might on the tongue. The Licker tried to get a grip on the ground but could not on the slippery tiled floor. Link and John ran for the window.

"Here we go!"

"Ahh!"

They both dove out the window with tongue in hand. The Licker was lifted off the ground and flew towards the window. It propped its arms up against the window frame to keep its body from falling out. The combined weight of the two survivors almost made its tongue rip out as it screamed in pain. Unfortunately, the tongue wasn't long enough for them to reach the ground. They dangled on the side of the building by a slimy tongue. Link looked 25 feet down below him to see cold cement surrounding his feet.

"Okay, wise guy, now what?" asked John who was barely holding on. Link looked embarrassed.

"Darn, I actually thought that would work. He looked up to the window. The zombies could not get out because of the giant Licker body blocking the window. "Well, look on the bright side. At least there are no zombies out here."

* * *

"Hey, strangah, what's that?"

The merchant pointed to a large blue building up ahead of them. Leon pulled out his binoculars to see.

"That's the R.P.D. I used to work there. A long time ago anyway…"

The merchant continued to point.

"Not that strangah. That."

Leon zoomed in with his high-tech gear and gasped at what he saw. Two men, one in green and one in black and white, were hanging on for dear life from a slimy pink rope that was hanging out a window.

"We have to help them!" Leon put away his binoculars and ran for the station.

"Strangah! Wait for me!"

Link and John's arms were beginning to strain. They were slipping from the creature's saliva.

"Link! I-I can't hold on much longer!"

Link winced his eye.

"Don't let go!"

John's hands slipped off like they were covered in oil and he fell to the pavement below.

"No! John!"

Link couldn't look. He didn't want to. The last thing he wanted to see was his splattered friend on the ground below.

"I guess this is the end. Good-bye, Samus. I'll always-"

He fell.

The world flew all around him in an instant. He saw people and places flash before his eyes. He saw Samus. She was crying on a stone bench in a courtyard. He offered her his handkerchief and she took it gratefully. He saw the Blue Falcon fly through the roof of the Smash Mansion greenhouse. He saw Snake leaning back in his seat with his dirty boots propped up on a dashboard. He saw the cloaked figure, standing still on a rooftop. Link felt like he was flying through a dream of memories.

"_Good-bye cruel world_."

A sudden impact stopped the dream and woke him up. Surprisingly, he did not come in contact with the cold, hard ground of the earth. Instead, he landed safely in the warm arms of a stranger. He opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first but it cleared up after a few seconds.

He was staring into the face of a young man in his late 20's. The man had fair brownish golden hair and sharp facial features. Definitely the kind of guy Samus would want to date. Link's eyes opened wide.

"Where...am I?" he asked.

"Oh, good you're alive," replied the man. The man put Link back on his feet. He stumbled a few times but stood still getting a grasp of his surroundings. He was outside the R.P.D. The tongue which he had let go of was not hanging out of the window anymore. "Do you remember anything?" asked the man.

Link rubbed his head.

"I...remember holding onto that tongue and John falling...and the dark figure...and..." He looked at the man. "You... Who are you?" Link asked, his eyes narrowing on the stranger.

"The name's Leon Kennedy, but you can call me Leon."

"Leon..." Link repeated.

"You took a nasty fall there. Good thing I made it on time to catch you."

Link looked at the blue building next to him.

"Falling?" Suddenly, all his memories shot back at once. "Where's John?!" Link shouted.

Leon hesitated for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I...I didn't make it on time to save your friend." Link couldn't believe the words he was hearing. He looked down to see John's motionless body on the ground. "No one could have survived a fall like that. You're lucky to be alive," said Leon trying to look on the bright side. Link just stood there, staring at the body.

"John's dead. No. It can't be..." Leon looked at the body too, only to see the merchant on the ground, searching the body for valuables.

"Hey! Get off of him!" Leon cried, pulling the creepy man off of John. The merchant managed to swipe John's shotgun. Link took his eyes off of John and back into reality.

"Hey, that's John's gun," he said.

"Ah, anotha' strangah! You want this gun so bad? I'll sell it to ya for-"

"Knock it off!" said Leon, snatching the weapon away from the merchant.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"No it's not! Have you no honor? This weapon should go to whoever was closest to this man when he was alive." Leon walked over to Link and handed him the shotgun. "He would have wanted you to have it," he said. A tear could be seen rolling down Link's face. He stared at the gun in his hands and held it close.

"You're right," replied Link.

"Okay, okay, keep the weapon," muttered the merchant. "How's about I sell you this nice, one-of-a-kind, green hat? That'll be 48 bucks!"

Leon swiped the hat, returning it to Link.

"I think this belongs to you," he said. Link regained his composure and received the sweaty hat graciously. "What's your name anyway, fairy-boy?"

Link looked up at Leon while putting on his hat. That was the second time someone had called him a 'fairy-boy' that night. He should really think about losing the tights...

"Um, Link. Call me Link." Link strapped the shotgun to his back and waited for a reply. Leon appeared to be in deep thought.

"Link, huh? That's a strange name. You're not from around here, are you?"

"No. Thankfully."

Leon chuckled at his joke.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Link. If you really need to know, this greasy guy right here is the merchant. I don't think you want to know his real name. Don't mind him being rude, he's just obsessed with money."

"Ah, strangah, you're so-"

"Can it."

"Leon," started Link. "Um...could you help me? My friends are trapped in this building and we've been trying to escape but those things just keep coming."

Leon nodded.

"You're telling me. You don't want to know how many zombies I've run into tonight."

"If it wasn't for me, strangah, you woulda been-"

"Sure, Link, I could help you find your friends," interrupted Leon quickly. "Actually, I was just about to go in there to search for a friend of mine as well. Have you seen this woman around?" Leon produced the picture of Claire, showing it to the Hylian.

"No, I haven't. Sorry."

"That's okay," replied Leon, tucking the photo away. "She could be in the station. Let's check it out."

"Right."

The two survivors made their way to the front of the building again. The merchant waddled closely behind.

Link took one last look at his fallen comrade before disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Dana and James climbed the large flight of stairs. The zombies were in pursuit behind them.

"Keep going! Don't look back now!" James told the girl. A window exploded behind them and a Licker jumped through into the stairwell, causing the officer to flinch. "Move!" The creature was closing in fast on the two. James could not aim his handgun while he was running so he focused more on getting to the top than trying to fight that thing. Dana made it to the top first and opened the door.

"Come on!" she yelled. James caught up to her and they both ran out onto the roof. James picked up a nearby wooden plank and barred the door with it. He turned around to see a full moon shine brightly in the night sky. "The roof! We made it!" said Dana gratefully.

James checked the perimeter to make sure there were no monsters on this level. He looked over the edge of the building and whistled. It was a long way down. There was no way they could survive a jump like that. Pounding hands could be heard from the other side of the door.

"They're coming though!" Dana cried.

There was nowhere to hide.

Nowhere to run.

They were trapped.

"Quick! Get behind me!" ordered James as he moved to the opposite side of the roof. Dana did as she was told and hid closely behind her companion. The wooden plank was beginning to snap. James gritted his teeth.

"_They've got us,_" James thought.

The door burst open, the Licker aggressively leaping through and into the open. Zombies also started flooding onto the roof too. There were too many of them to fight. James aimed at one zombie, but then changed to another, then switched to the Licker leading the pack.

It was over.

They lost.

The Licker reared back, ready to pounce. James dropped his weapon and held onto Dana for dear life. The Licker lunged at them, fangs poised to pierce.

Suddenly, a loud gun shot was heard in the air and the Licker bounced back into a crowd of zombies. The creature had ignited and some of the other zombies caught fire too. James looked around to see who had fired that shot. He heard a humming sound in the air. A small jet plane dove down and fired plasma bolts at the army of darkness. Most of them caught on fire instantly and fell to the ground, dead. The jet flew off and returned for another wave of zombie slaughter until all the monsters were burning corpses on the ground.

"Who in the world?..." asked James.

The small jet hovered down onto the roof near James and Dana. The cockpit window opened, steam seeping out and creeping to the ground. The pilot jumped out of his seat and landed in front of his ship in plain sight of the two survivors. James and Dana could not believe their eyes. A short fox wearing a pilot's uniform and headgear nodded his head toward them.

"Are you alright?" it asked.

Not only was this creature wearing clothes, but it spoke as well!

"Are you...the help they sent?" asked James, taking a step forward.

Fox's tail dusted the ground around him as he walked towards them.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He tilted his head down to speak into his mouthpiece. "This is Fox, reporting in. I have found survivors, repeat, I have found survivors."

A male voice on the other end came out through the headset, slightly distorted by the radio frequency.

"Copy that. Fox, we are inbound and are heading to your position, over."

"Copy that. Fox out."

James and Dana stood mesmerized by the animal that spoke in front of them. Fox turned to them.

"Have you two seen my friend's anywhere? One of them is wearing a stealth suit, the other in a tight body suit, and the third is in a green tunic and tights. Sound familiar?"

"Wait, before we answer your question, just who are you?"

Fox looked at the human.

"Me? Well, let's just say that I… and my colleagues… may be the only hope of survival you guys have." Fox pointed out into the night sky.

James and Dana followed his finger. In the distance, a large ship in the shape of a falcon could be seen heading towards them.


	7. Now That's What I Call Backup

Into the Dark

* * *

**Author's Note:** Why hasn't anyone reviewed lately? I know there are people reading this! You know who you are so please just take the time and leave a review. :)

* * *

Chapter 7: Now That's What I Call Backup

* * *

The banging on the door continued. Samus clicked off the safety of her weapon. "_I don't have enough ammo_..." she thought. The moaning was getting louder as more zombies gathered outside. "_There's no way I'm dying to a bunch of mindless freaks!_" Samus paused for a moment. "_How the hell did I even get all mixed up in this mess?_"

An image of Captain Falcon popped into her head.

"You're _worthless_," he said. "_You're nothing but a little girl with an attitude. You don't belong in the Smash Bros_."

Samus fought back at the thought.

"_Shut up! This is your fault._"

Captain Falcon's laugh echoed through her head.

"_My fault? You're the one who thought it was a good idea to run from you're problems. Now look where it got you! If you have any honor at all, you would at least accept your fate and be eaten by those monsters_."

"_I'll fight them. They won't get me._"

"_They will. And when the sad news of Samus Aran's death spreads throughout the world, I'll be there, laughing. Ha ha ha!_"

"_Not if I can help it!_"

Samus saw a rotting hand reach in through the crack in the barricaded door.

"_They're coming for you. They killed everyone else and now you're the only one left. You're the only one left, Samus._"

"_I'm not the only one. Link is still alive. He has to be._"

"_He's dead. They're all dead. And you can't save them!_"

Samus snapped out of her daydream and noticed the rotting hand was gone from the door. She heard gunfire coming from the main hall. The moaning of the undead seemed to get farther and farther away.

"T_hey're...leaving_..."

She looked down to see that the hand holding the gun was shaking. She packed the weapon into her bag and headed for the door.

"_If I ever get my hands on that Falcon, I'm gonna strangle him so hard he's gonna_-"

She was cut off to see Mike at the door with a surprised look on his face.

"Samus! You're safe!" he exclaimed

"Mike, I thought you were dead!" she replied as she joined the other survivor.

"Who, me? Aw, nah."

"Mike, you're arm, it's-"

"Oh, it's nothing, It got caught in a door while running away from those things."

"Here, I found a First Aid Spray."

Samus reached into her bag and pulled out the green can.

"Oh thank goodness! You're a life saver! Here, let me see that."

Samus gave him the medical container and he performed the treatment on his arm. Half the can was left after that, which Samus retrieved.

"Did you hear gunfire anywhere, Mike?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah that's what I wanted to tell you! I think reinforcements have arrived! I heard the shots coming from the main hall of the station."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Samus and Mike entered the smelly hallway. Even though the zombies were no longer here, they left an awful stench behind. Samus was used to it by now though.

"_Man, the first thing I'm going to do when I get back to the mansion, is take a nice, long shower_," she thought.

Mike ran in front of her as the gunfire continued to fill the hallway. Just who could it be? They turned a corner to see the backs of a wall of zombies covering the entire width of the hall. The two quickly ducked behind a corner.

"Those are the ones from before. They must be going to the source of the gunfire," Samus whispered. Mike looked to a door on the right that the zombies overlooked. It was open and a set of stairs could be seen standing idly by.

"Let's get to the stairs," Mike whispered back. Samus nodded and they made their way to the door and up the stairs. They ran up the flight as quickly and silently as they could. The gunfire was getting louder. They must be close to wherever it was coming from. "There's a door up there!" called Mike to Samus who was in front of him. She opened the door quickly and was stunned by what she saw. Mike ran up next to her and stood on the second floor balcony of the main hall.

"My God..."

Three men stood in the centre of what appeared to be a sea of zombies. One of the men wore a green tunic and wielded a shotgun that looked very familiar. Another one held some kind of rapid fire weapon he used to mow down a whole pack of monsters. The third was a man in blue and stood close to the other two men completely unarmed but not at all fazed by the environment. The only light in the room was that of the moon's rays shining through a circular skylight above the three survivors.

"That's Link! He's alive!" Samus shouted. "But they're outnumbered!" Indeed, they were outnumbered, for the entire room seemed to be filled completely with zombies and more seemed to be coming in through the side doors. "There's no way they'll be able to survive that!"

Mike smirked.

* * *

A zombie lunged forward out of the group at Leon. He quickly kicked its face inward, sending it flying into the group behind it.

"Dammit! There's too many of them!" he shouted.

Link fired a shell clumsily into the chest of one zombie, but it continued its assault, pretending the blast was nothing. He was already on his last bullet.

"I need more ammo!" he shouted.

"Sure thing, strangah," replied the merchant as he tossed Link a case of ten shotgun shells. Link received it before blasting off the head of a zombie that got too close. In a room with a seemingly unlimited number of monsters, this battle was already lost. Their only chance of survival would be escape. Link glanced up to the balcony and noticed Samus and Mike.

"_Samus! She's alive!_" Link thought.

A zombie quickly jumped in front of his face. Leon blasted its face off with a few rounds of his TMP.

"We gotta get out of here!" he shouted over the moaning.

"How?! We're surrounded!" Suddenly, a rumbling sound hummed over top of them. The entire ground shook. "What is that!?"

"I...don't know!" Leon replied.

The sound stopped and the zombies continued to move forward. There was barely any room for the three survivors to move. Link felt an icy hand grab his tunic. He shook it off and backed up into Leon who barely had room to stand.

"_Is this the end?_"

The sound of glass shattering echoed through the air. Clear shards rained down from above and covered the survivors and nearby zombies. Link and Leon looked up. "What the-?" they both said. Two short silhouettes in front of the moons gaze down at the carnage below.

"Strangah?..."

The two figures fell from the roof and landed on their feet, one in front of Link, the other in front of Leon. "_No way_..." Link thought.

The two figures shouted in unison: "PK FIRE!"

The zombies in the front of the swarm were completely engulfed in a wall of flames.

"PK FIRE! PK FIRE! PK FIRE!" The two figures shouted.

Link instantly recognized the boy with the red baseball cap that stood before him.

"Ness!" Link shouted to the short boy.

Ness turned to him while the fire shield protected them from further assault.

"Link, we gotta go!" he said.

Link nodded.

"But how?" he asked over the groaning.

"Link! Up here!"

Link looked up to see Zelda's face leaning over the side of the shattered skylight.

"Zelda!" Link called back.

Ike and Meta Knight's face also appeared.

"Grab this rope!" Ike called down, throwing the survivors a long rope. Link grabbed on.

"Leon! We're getting out of here!"

Leon hesitated before turning to Link. He was too entranced by the blonde boy in front of him shooting fire at the zombies.

"Who are these people?" he asked.

"No time to explain, just grab a hold!"

Leon, the merchant, Ness, and Lucas grabbed on.

"Ah, strangah, you really know how to think on your feet!"

Ike, Zelda and Meta Knight started pulling the heavy rope up to the roof. Link looked down. The fire shield was dissipating and the zombies were gathering around underneath them. He held on for dear life.

"Link!"

It was Samus' voice. Link looked up towards the balcony to see Samus and Mike waiting to be rescued. Zombies were approaching them from both sides.

"_They'll never make it out_..." he thought.

He quickly pulled out his hookshot and aimed it at the balcony railing. The weapon locked with the metal bars and began to pull the rescue rope over to the remaining survivors.

"What's he doing?" Ike said. "He's pulling us down!"

"He's getting Samus! Don't let go!"

Mike climbed over the railing and grabbed the nearby rope. The zombies on the balcony were moving closer to their prey.

"Samus, grab on!" Link reached out for her hand. She leaned far and took hold, barely losing her ankle to a close zombie. The hookshot broke from the railing and the rope with all the survivors swung across the room before returning to its standard position. The extra weight was making it harder for the brawlers on the roof to pull them up.

"Fox, Falcon! Get over here and help us!" Ike called to his comrades.

Leon looked down at the sea of zombies.

"Man that was close," he said.

"You're tellin' me, strangah," replied the merchant.

They were almost at the roof now. Link and Samus were the first ones to climb out, followed by Leon, the merchant, Ness, Lucas, and Mike. All of them fell onto the ground, panting hard.

"That...was scary," Lucas coughed.

Ness put his hand on his shoulder.

"We did good, don't worry. What's important is that we managed to save them," he said heroically. Lucas smiled at his friend.

Link and Samus sat on the cold cement looking at each other.

"Thanks," said Samus.

Link managed a small smile.

"You're welcome," he said before falling onto his back and closing his eyes. Samus looked around at her saviors.

Ike stood by Zelda with his large sword on his back. Neither of them had any wounds at all. Meta Knight stood by silently with his cape wrapped around himself. Fox came over and offered his hand.

"You alright?" he asked. Samus grasped his hand and stood up.

"Never better," she replied.

Fox was actually pretty stunned to see her as well as the other smashers. She had forgotten that not one of them have ever seen her without her zero suit or power suit. It felt kind of good. She promised herself she would dress casually more often. Captain Falcon stood away from the group, leaning on his Falcon Flyer and staring out into the distance. Samus ignored him.

"_I'll kill him later_," she thought to herself.

Mike was scrambling to his feet. He had never seen so many weird-looking people in his life.

"_You...you're not police. You're not even military! What are you?_" he choked.

Zelda looked at Ike who nodded.

"We have come here to rescue our friends," said Ike, pointing at Link and Samus. "You just happened to be there when we rescued them so consider yourself lucky."

Mike was shocked. So if he hadn't showed up at the right time, they would have left him to die? These people were crazy.

"What happened to this city?" Zelda asked.

"I've been asking myself that same thing since I got here," replied Mike.

Samus handed Meta Knight her duffle bag.

"Hold onto this for me. There are important documents in there that may come in handy," she said to the star warrior. Meta Knight received the bag silently.

Leon and the merchant stood up, finally able to get a good look at the people who saved them.

"Oh, strangah, this just keeps gettin' better 'an better!" The merchant opened up his coat for all to see. "What're ya buyin'?" The others just stared at him awkwardly. Leon put the merchant in a head lock. "Hey! What're ya doin', strangah?!" the merchant cried.

"You gave me no choice!" replied Leon.

Zelda took a step forward.

"Are you...okay?" she asked the two men.

"Please excuse my smelly friend here; he just can't control himself," said Leon. Zelda nodded. "Thanks for saving our butts back there. You guys really know what you're doing."

"Any time. But, we're not done yet. Two of our friends are still out here somewhere."

Leon let go of the merchant. Link's head shot up.

"Snake..." he said quietly. Wait. Two friends? If Snake was one, then who was the other?

"One of them is a tall man with army gear. The other is blue and looks like a wolf.

"_Lucario?_" thought Link.

Leon looked to the merchant who shook his head and then he turned back at Zelda.

"Sorry, I don't know who you're talking about," he said plainly.

Link took a step into the conversation.

"Snake's dead."

The other smashers turned all their attention towards Link. Zelda put her hand up to her mouth in shock.

"Wait, what do you mean he's dead?" asked Ike.

"I mean HE'S DEAD!" Link shouted. "He got eaten by those things roaming the streets!" Link turned to Mike. "And you..." he started.

Mike took a few steps back.

"Wait, hold on-" he said nervously. Link was about to take a step, but Samus knew where this was leading so she took a step in front of him.

"Link, don't," she said. Link looked at her in the eyes and backed off. Samus turned to Zelda. "So, you mean to tell me that Lucario is stuck out here, too?"

Zelda nodded.

"Yes, but we fear for his safety. Ness and Lucas have been trying to locate his aura, but unfortunately, PSI powers and aura are two totally different things."

"Well, then we have to go look for him! He could be in trouble! Who knows what those monster could do to him!"

"I know, which is why we must act quickly. Two of the survivors Fox found earlier said that this city was going to be sterilized in less than 9 hours. If we don't find him before time runs out, he could die!"

Samus fell silent.

"_Two survivors from earlier?_" thought Link. "_That must be Dana and that other guy she was with_."

He looked over at Leon who made no facial reply. He then turned back to Zelda. "So, what's the plan?" he asked casually.

"Hm?" she asked.

"I've seen way too many people get killed tonight." The thought of Snake and John blew through his mind. "I'm not about to let one more fall victim to the hands of these freaks."

"My first priority is to get to my ship so I can resupply," said Samus.

Fox took a step forward.

"We have to get these people to safety as well."

"Okay, listen up," started Ike. "Fox is going to bring the survivors to the town we saw coming in here. That should keep them safe from the bomb or nuke or whatever's going to 'sterilize' this city. We can drop Samus off at her ship. Then we can drop off some scouts to search the city for Lucario. Ness and Lucas will have to lead though because they can sense his aura the best out of all of us."

"Sounds good. I like it," said Fox.

"Alright then let's get moving," replied Zelda. Fox get those people to your ship. Everyone else, come with me."

"Wait, I'm coming too!" said Leon immediately. Everyone turned to him. "One of my friends is trapped in this city. I...I need to find her. Please, you have to take me with you."

Ike walked up to Leon.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Leon Scott Kennedy. I came here to find my old partner when the virus broke out."

Ike offered his hand.

"I'm Ike. We can help you find your comrade, but only if we work together."

Leon shook his hand.

"Thank you."

Ike's grip was strong. Leon cried in his mind as Ike crushed his hand with his.

"We better get moving."

Fox lead Mike to his Arwing. James and Dana were already inside it. Mike boarded the small ship.

"See you in a few," said Fox, saluting to Zelda.

"Hurry back," she replied.

Fox got in and took off in a flash. Everyone else made their way to the Falcon Flyer.

Captain Falcon stood by the boarding platform making sure everyone got on. As Samus walked past him, they locked eyes with each other. She by-passed it and boarded the ship with everyone else. Link was the last to board the ship. He had forgotten how huge the ship was. He didn't notice it, but it must have covered half of the roof of the R.P.D. at least. This ship was the second largest ship any of the smashers owned so it had more than enough room for everyone to fit. The survivors made their way to the main deck.

The merchant was curious and wanted to press all the shiny buttons on the control panels. Leon slapped his hand away from the ship's main cannon control.

"Don't touch anything."

Captain Falcon took his place in the pilot seat and leaned back.

"So, Samus...where's you're ship?" he asked as casually as possible.

Samus was surprised by his mood. Was he still mad at her? Who cares, she hated him all the same. She moved to the front of the deck and looked out the main viewer.

"It's in a forest not far from here. I'm sure you saw it on your way into the city," she replied.

Captain Falcon turned on the main power for the ship and it lifted off into the low atmosphere above the burning buildings. It flew at incredible speed to the outskirts of the city.

Meta Knight stood in a corner silently, duffle bag at his side.

Below them, the aftermath of the disaster lay still: Blood on the streets, decapitated bodies everywhere, flaming vehicles and homes. Tit was more or less the same scene Link had been witnessing all night. Oh how he wanted to go home. He wanted to finish the tournament and get it over with.

"_Wait a second_..."

Link, turned to Zelda who was standing next to him.

"Is the tournament over already?" he asked.

Zelda shook her head.

"No, Master Hand stopped everything after you guys went missing. Lucario went to go look for you. That's how he got lost in the first place. Master Hand ordered a search party to come and find you guys."

"_If the tournament's over, does that mean they'll have to redo it again? What would Master Hand say about Snake's death?_"

Link had a feeling he had asked himself that last question before but couldn't remember when.

The forest came into view below them. The dark mountains stood silently on the horizon.

"There it is!" said Samus, pointing down at an orange ship in a clearing. The ship hovered over the open space.

"There's not enough room to land. You'll have to drop off here," said Captain Falcon.

Samus nodded. She waved to Link, Leon and the merchant to come follow her. "Ness, you're coming too." The five of them made it to the exit platform.

"I'll beam you down," said Captain Falcon's voice on the intercom. A bright light surrounded them all and they disappeared. They reappeared directly below the Flyer in the clearing. Captain Falcon's voice was heard from the ship again. "Let's split up. That way we can cover more ground." The ship did a quick 180 and headed back to Raccoon City. Samus and the others made it over to her ship and went onboard.

Everything was as they had previously left it. Link went over and picked up all the items he regrettably left behind. Samus went into her quarters to change. Leon and the merchant sat in the navigation and cannon control seats obediently. Ness went over to the intercom system.

"Captain Falcon, come in. This is Ness," he said speaking into the microphone. Captain Falcon's voice was a bit fuzzy on the other end.

"I hear ya, Ness. What's going on?"

"I'm sensing Lucario's aura again. It's stronger this time. He's definitely in the city. He may even be underground..."

"Roger that. Lucas is feeling the same thing over here. Stay sharp and keep an eye out. If we don't find him in 8 hours, report back here to the clearing, got it?"

"Got it. Ness out."

Ness put down the microphone and looked behind him to see Leon staring at him.

"You're a pretty smart kid," he said.

"Uh, thanks."

"How did you manage to deal with those zombies back there?"

"With my PSI powers."

"Okay...and that means?..."

"Basically, I have elemental mind powers."

"I see. That's a pretty handy skill to have."

Link walked over with his sword and shield on his back. He sat down in the co-pilot seat. He looked at the controls in front of him. There was dirt all over them.

"Nice sword," said Leon.

"Thanks."

"Hey, strangah. I like this ship! I'll buy it at a high price!" called the merchant from his seat.

"Sorry, it's not for sale," said Link, shaking his head.

"Man, you really have a problem. You should really think about seeing a psychiatrist or something," said Leon to his dirty blue friend.

"I'll take that as a compliment, strangah."

A humming sound was heard as a figure entered through the sliding door. She stood tall in an orange suit similar to the colour of the ship they were in. A green cannon was mounted onto her right arm. She wore large circular shoulder and everywhere she walked, the sound of metal clanking on metal could be heard. This was the Samus Link knew all too well. He could see her eyes through the green plating covering her face. Leon sat up straight in his seat as she approached.

"Who is that?" he asked curiously, the cyborg now standing before the survivors.

"My name is Samus Aran."


	8. The Lone Soldier

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to give a special thanks to SG-Kai for being my second reviewer. You rule dude! (or girl or whatever you are...) You see people? If you review I mention you're name, people go to you're profile, then they read you're stuff, it's that simple! That is the way I work. Also, I didn't go into much physical description about the smashers because I assumed everyone already knew what they looked like. All I did was give them character on how I think they should be. Yes, I did make Captain Falcon seem like a jerk, but that was only because I did not want to use a villain like Ganondorf or Bowser. I tried to make the merchant talk the same way as in Resident Evil 4 because I thought it would be funny. I don't want this story to get too far into comedy though, just enough to make it not seem so depressing.

Chapter 8: The Lone Soldier

Raccoon City stood silently below the chopper. Fires were everywhere and spreading like weeds. The city was now totally destroyed. Not a single building lay intact. Raccoon City was no more. "Sir! We're almost at the drop off point!" called the pilot into his headset.

"Copy that! Get ready! It's going to get hot!" said Captain Laliberte. The soldiers all sat in their seats waiting to be dispatched. All of them sitting with the same look of terror in their eyes. They knew what had happened to this city. They knew what was down there. And now they were being sent by Umbrella to clear out any innocent lives that may still be trapped down there.

A soldier in a green tactical vest and cargo pants sat nearest to the exit gate. He clutched his SMG in his hand securely. His entire face was covered by a black gas mask. The lenses were tinted red. He wore the Umbrella emblem on his left arm and a badge over his heart that read: "Private Valchev." He had a bandage wrapped around his bloody left leg. A combat knife lay secure in a holster strapped to his right leg. He relaxed his muscles. This was not the first time Valchev had been in the city. Earlier that day he was dispatched to clear out the monsters running loose. A lot of his comrades died, including Private Wills, a close childhood friend of his. Now he had to go back down into that wasteland, this time to rescue any survivors.

"We are inbound!" called the pilot. The chopper landed in the city square. A fallen fountain stood silently on the side. The grass that was once green was now brown and dying, just like those zombies.

"Okay ladies, let's move out!" ordered Captain Laliberte. 16 men filed out of the chopper in military order just like they trained, all of them wearing black gas masks over their face. Their only form of identity was their badge. The chopper took off. Captain Laliberte organized his troops. "You guys know the drill! Find any survivors you can and bring them to the extraction point! Don't get lost. This place is big! Make sure you watch each other's backs! And most importantly...don't die!!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Move out!"

Private Valchev ran into the city. The Captain had recommended he travel with a partner, but Valchev was too careless. He did not want to have someone else's life put into his hands. He ran down the shattered city, SMG in hand. He looked behind him to see if any of his comrades were following him. Good, he was alone. He continued the search for survivors. As Private Valchev moved through the wreckage, he noticed a lot of dead bodies and broken vehicles. This did not move him at all. He was trained like a machine. Don't think, just do. Thinking is what gets you into trouble in situations like these. If you think about your problems too much, you may end up just as dead (or undead) as the people in the city. He passed by a coffee shop that had the front door open.

"Hmm..." He walked in.

Someone had trailed dirt into the clean shop from earlier. A jukebox and vending machine sat in the corner. Tables and chairs sat aligned and in order. Valchev was about to turn around when he noticed two melted tubs of vanilla ice cream on the counter. Black feathers and four spoons lay scattered on the ground. He looked to the staircase which had blood leading up it. The door to the kitchen had a lot of feathers piled in front of it.

"Wonder what happened here?"

The soldier went over to the kitchen door and opened it. Dirty pots and pans piled up high in the sink. A single pan lay idly on the stove. Had he not had the gas mask on, Valchev would have smelled burnt fries. Feathers also littered this room too. There were no windows in this room, which made the only thing left to investigate the freezer. The large, iron door was locked. Valchev had to put down his weapon in order to open it. His large upper body strength made opening the door easy. He flinched a the sight inside. The floor was covered in frozen birds which had the same coloured feathers as the ones outside. The majority of them lay around a frozen man holding a crowbar on the far end of the freezer.

"Could he be alive?" Valchev thought. "No, he's been in here way to long...unless..."

Valchev went across the room trying not to step on any of the birds. He picked up the frozen man in his arms. He strung his weapon over his back and went outside. He placed the man close to a fire that had spread onto the road from a hardware store. Valchev waited for the man to thaw. "Could this be possible? Can I save this man from death?" The ice was melting off the man's body and his limbs started bending a little. The crow bar fell from his hands. Valchev made no reaction under his mask. "If you get out of that, you'll be one lucky bastard..." Valchev put his gloved hand on the man's chest. His heart's stopped. He'll need something to give it a jump start. But what? He looked for something he could use to shock this man back to life. Power cables? No, too powerful. They'll kill him as soon as he comes to. Damn. Valchev cursed. There was no way he would be able to find a defibrillator anywhere near here. He thought for a moment. He looked to the small oxygen tank on his back.

Valchev knelt next to the man and took off his mask. He put the mask on the man and started pumping oxygen into his lungs with his oxygen tank. "Breath, dammit!" Valchev cursed again. He started pushing on the man's chest. "Wake up!" Oxygen was moving throughout the man's entire body. His eyes began to flutter. "Come on! Come on!" The man started breathing on his own. He started coughing in the mask. He was shivering.

"Ugh...where am I....?"

"You're safe now, friend," replied Valchev. The man opened his eyes under the mask. Through the lenses, he saw a young man with short blonde hair and a goatee. His blue eyes (which looked purple through the lenses) stared back at his. The soldier had a thin scar going across the bridge of his nose. He was intimidated by the large man at first, until he realized that he was a soldier.

"Did you....save me?" Valchev nodded.

"Yes. You were very close to dying. I found you frozen in a freezer with a bunch of birds." The man sat up. He tried to remove the mask, but the soldier kept it on him, at least for a little while longer.

"The freezer?....Oh yeah, I remember...I got locked in the freezer...what birds?...."

"There were birds in the freezer. Lots of them. They were frozen all over the floor."

"Wow, that's weird....I'm not surprised though...this city makes that believable."

"Yeah, I know." The man took some more deep breaths from the clean oxygen in the tank before Valchev took it off. The man's facial features could be seen more clearer without the mask.

"Who are you?" the man asked. Valchev put the mask back on his face.

"I am Private Van Valchev. I was sent here by Umbrella to find any survivors from this attack. Can I get your name?"

"Todd. Todd Lawrence."

"Todd..." Van looked down at the man's hands. They were bloody, especially the hand that was holding the crowbar. "I know I shouldn't be asking this, but how did you end up in the freezer? I didn't see any traces of zombies in the shop." Todd seemed a little embarrassed.

"Well, um, you see. It's a funny story actually." Van folded his arms, ready to listen. "When me and my family found out about the attacks, we decided that we leave town. We packed up and everything."

"That explains the dirty dishes..." thought Van.

"We were going to meet at the R.P.D. to be evacuated, but I somehow got locked in the freezer by mistake. My family had left me behind and I froze solid. If I stayed there any longer, I'd probably be dead by now. Thanks for saving me." Van put his arm on Todd's shoulder.

"Don't mention it. Right now, though, we have to get out of the city. Our extraction point is at the R.P.D. in the centre of the city."

"I know where that is. Follow me." The civilian lead the soldier through the broken city streets. Van thought he saw a cloaked person through the corner of his view, but ignored it. His objective was to get this man to safety, and that's what he planned to do. "Man, what happened to this city? It was never like this when I last saw it." Van looked to the man with sad eyes.

"A lot has happened since you were last here. Do you know if you're family is okay?"

"If the R.P.D. is empty, then I'm almost certain that they made it to safety. I'm not too worried about them." Van hated to have a casual conversation with someone who he had to protect, but right now he felt that Todd needed something to talk about to get his mind off the city.

"How many people are in your family?" asked Van.

"I have a beautiful wife, and two even more beautiful boys. Both of them are below the age of 10. I promised them we would move out to the country once we got out of the city, but sadly, I don't think that's going to happen..." Van felt a little sympathy for this man. He was surprised that Todd wasn't cracking up over the fact that he may never see his family again. Van tried to take his mind off it and focus on his mission. He jumped to attention when he heard the sound of garbage cans being thrown down behind him. It was coming from an alley way. "What was that?" cried Todd. Van clicked off the safety of his weapon.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. You get behind that car and don't move." Todd did as he was told and crouched behind a jeep that was missing a hood. Van walked cautiously toward the alley. If there was something following them, Van wanted to make sure he got rid of it before it had a chance to strike. He looked into the alley, weapon at ready. He heard a dog whimpering in the darkness. He turned on his flashlight at the end of his gun. A doberman was peeking out of the side of a fallen garbage can and making whimpering sounds. Van lowered his weapon. "Just a dog..." he turned around, but heard growling sounds behind him. He turned around again to see the doberman walking out from it's hide away. The other half of it's body was a complete wreck. Skin and fur was missing in some parts. Intestines were drooping out, blood falling out of it's wounds and mouth. It continued to growl. Van raised his weapon. "What are you?..." The dog had the same look in it's eyes as the crows and the zombies. Van took a few steps back before open firing on the creature. It fell down after about 15 rounds.

Van wiped the sweat from his head, but was interrupted when two more dogs emerged from the darkness. Van aimed his weapon again, but was having trouble deciding which one to shoot first. One dog jumped up and tried to bite the soldier in the face, but Van quickly dodged and hit it with the butt of his gun. The dog, flew into a car and struggled to get up. The other dog ran up to Van. He shot it in the face with it's weapon, killing it instantly. He didn't notice the other one come up behind him and bite into his leg. "Ahh!!" Van screamed as he fell to the ground and dropped his gun. The dog ripped and teared at Valchev's limb. He quickly reached for his knife and slashed across the canine's face. It howled in pain as it let go. Van grabbed one of the rocks near him on the ground and chucked it at the zombie dog. It was a direct hit and the force was so powerful that it made a hole right though the dog's abdomen. It finally fell to the ground, dead. Van dropped his knife and held his wounded leg. "Damn, that thing got me good..." Todd ran over.

"Private Valchev! Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine! Just give me a second..." Van reached to his belt and pulled out his only First Aid Spray. He pulled up his pant leg to see the wound more clear. It was deep. The bone could be seen under the blood. Todd almost threw up at the sight.

"Ugh, excuse me," he said before turning around and puking on the pavement. Van ignored him as he applied the medicine. The sting was not nearly as bad as the pain from the open wound. He sprayed it up and down until the can clicked dry. His leg was slowly starting to heal. Todd came back over. "Sorry about that, I'm not used to this sort of thing."

"Join the club. Rip off a piece of you're shirt for me?" Todd did as he was told and handed Van the 'bandage'. He wrapped it tightly around his wound and covered it with his pant leg. Van took a deep breath. "I don't know what the hell that thing was...nor do I want to know...All I want to do, is get the hell out of here. Understand?" Todd nodded. "Good. Then let's go." Van stood up and collected his dropped weapons. He reloaded his SMG and holstered his knife. He and Todd then continued on their way to the R.P.D. By the time the two survivors made it to the station, the moon was covered by dark clouds. The front gate before them was on the ground, trampled by dirty feet.

"What do you suppose...?" asked Todd.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully, none of those freaks are in there." Van ran up the path and put his ear against the large doors. Moaning and grunting could be heard on the inside. He ran back over to Todd. "Oh, they're in there alright." Todd leaned against the wall.

"So, now what?" Van pulled out his radio.

"Vulture 6. Come in Vulture 6. This is Private Valchev of the Umbrella retrieval unit." They waited for an answer.

"I copy that Private Valchev. You want me to come pick you up?"

"Uh, negative on that, our extraction point seems to be overpopulated with monsters. Requesting new extraction point, over."

"Roger that. In that case, the new extraction point will be the one discussed before this mission as planned, over."

"Copy that, we're heading over there now."

"Gotcha. See you then."

"Valchev out." Van tucked his radio away into his belt.

"Where's the new extraction point?" asked Todd. Van pointed North.

"At the church, just up the road there." Todd turned to see a steeple rise over the buildings.

"Okay, then let's hurry." Van and Todd made their way to the church. Luckily, no monsters had ambushed them on the way. They stopped and looked up at the large, dark sanctuary.

"Okay, now we wait," said Van calmly. A hovering sound was heard.

"Hey, there he is!" cried Todd. The chopper was above them, ready to land and pick them up.

"About time."

"Van! What's that on the roof?" Van looked up on top of the church. There on the very top of the steeple, stood a creature neither of the survivors had seen before. It stood at least 8 feet tall and carried what seemed to be a large spear on it's right hand. Blood and other chemicals was oozing out of it's chest as it's menacing eyes stared right into the cockpit of the low flying chopper. "Oh no!" The creature leapt from it's position and speared with its weapon at the chopper. The force of the weapon sliced the cockpit and the pilot inside in half. The transport fell to the ground, Van and Todd barely making it out of the way. They turned around to examine the crash. The chopper was on the ground in flames next to the church. "What was that thing?" asked Todd, catching his breath.

"I...I don't know..." replied Van. A tall figure emerged from the flames, a large spear like weapon dangling on it's right hand. It was breathing heavily and walking towards the two survivors. Van looked for an escape route. The church seemed like their best bet. "Quick! In there!" Van and Todd ran to the giant double doors, the monster walking slowly behind them. Van tried to open the doors, but they were sealed with a padlock. He shot the lock off with a few rounds from his SMG and the two of them ran inside.

The church was dark. Moonlight came in from the stained glass windows portraying the Saints and the Holy Ones. Where were they now? Candles were lit by the front altar and a priest knelt in front of the tabernacle, praying quite loudly. Van and Todd ran up to him before the monster made it inside.

"....And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us... ," prayed the priest. Van interrupted him.

"There's no time for that! We have to move now!" The priest did not move from his spot. Todd turned to see the monster.

"Van! It's coming!" Van heard the doors smash as he turned to see the 8 foot tall beast sprinting towards them at an incredible speed. Van realized there was no time to save this man.

"Get down!" Van tackled Todd out of the way by the rampaging beast. It pierced the priest through the back with it's long lance.

"...But deliver...us from ...evil...."

The priest fell to the ground, a large, crimson hole now imprinted on his back.

"Holy shit!" cried Van as he stood up. The entire alter was completely destroyed as the creature turned to it's original prey. Todd stood up shaking.

"Let's go!" Van grabbed Todd's wrist and ran up the east stairs leading to the balcony. The creature was in pursuit. Van ran up the stairway to be blinded by the moonlight coming in through the giant, round, stained glass window. He looked around. Seats were all in order, but nothing they could use to fight this thing. They were trapped (how many times have I said that in this story?). Todd came up and ran to the window. "There's no way out!" he cried. Van ran to his side.

"Give me a second to think...." he said. The tall monster emerged from the dark stairway and started sprinting when it noticed the two survivors.

"Van! Look out!" Van stared into the dead eyes of the monster. It was going to jump just like it did to the priest... The creature leaped into the air, ready to come down on the two men. Van pushed Todd out of the way. The creature collided with the soldier and they both broke through the stained glass window and onto the street 2 stories below. "Van!!!" Todd ran down the stairs and out into the night. Van lay on top of the large, dead body. Blood was creeping all around it. "Van!" Todd knelt down by his saviour. Van coughed. His SMG lay in a puddle off blood a few feet away. The burning helicopter was behind them. "Van, are you okay?" Van's eyes blurred before coming into view with the civilian.

"Heh. Never better." He stood up slowly, trying to maintain his balance. Todd helped him stand. "Hand me my gun." Todd retrieved the weapon. "Thanks," said Van, putting the weapon in it's holster. They both walked back into the church and sat down in the back row of seats. Van realized that his mask had cracked and he removed it, breathing heavily. "Cheap thing..." Todd examined Van's body, making sure he was fine.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Van looked at him with dull, blue eyes.

"No. Not that I know of." He stretched. Everything seemed fine. "I'm lucky I landed on that thing, otherwise I would have been flattened."

"What was it?"

"I'm not sure, but it's dead now, so we don't have to worry. The both looked forward at the alter with the dead priest. Van pulled out his radio. "Come in Captain. Come in. This is Private Valchev. Where are you?" There was some fuzziness over the radio transmission, but a voice could be heard clearly.

"Valchev? Where the hell are you?!" Gunfire could be heard in the background of the voice. Van looked surprised.

"I'm in a church with a civilian. Our transport was destroyed. Is there a new rendezvous point? Over." The gunfire came back as well as some moaning of the undead.

"Valchev! Listen to me! Stay where you are! There's too many of them out here! More than half the squad has already been killed! Get out of the city! Repeat! GET OUT OF THE CITY!"

"I'm sorry Captain, I...I didn't quite hear you, over." Gun fire was loud now.

"Get back monster!" Loud groaning could be heard over the radio followed by a scream and the sound of flesh being torn off of bones. "AHHH!!!!"

"Captain! CAPTAIN!!!" Captain Laliberte made no reply. Van slammed his radio onto the side of the seat, almost smashing it. "Dammit!!" he yelled. Todd looked afraid.

"So, what's going to happen to us?" he choked. Van lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply. He blew the toxic fumes out into the holy air.

"We're getting out of this city. I don't know how or when... but we're getting out. I promise."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The orange ship landed on the roof of an apartment building. Four figures stepped out. A Hylian, a suit of armor, an American, and a boy. Link had taken his bow and arrows with him in the place of his shotgun. Samus turned around and looked into the main viewer of the ship. The merchant was in there giving her a thumbs up. She waved back uncomfortably and turned to Leon.

"I can't believe that guy is guarding the ship! I can't trust him as far as I can throw him!" she said to him. Leon shrugged and walked to the door with the others. Ness reached up and grabbed the greasy doorknob. He wiped his hand on his shirt.

"Ewww..."

"Here, let me," said Link, opening the door with his gloved hand. They all walked down the stairs into the building. The merchant danced around happily in the ship.

"Aww, strangah! The gods have blessed me they did!" he said jumping for joy. He then proceeded with pocketing any small item he could. He picked up John's shotgun and stuffed it in his coat. "This'll fetch a fine price." A bunch of Snake's military equipment was piled in a corner. The merchant ran over and pocketed a bunch of grenades and other explosives. He also took a strange looking device that looked capable of making the user float. The merchant patted his thick coat, happily. He then made his way to Samus' room. It was locked and required a hand notification in order to open. "Uh oh... can't get in 'ere." The merchant reached into his coat and pulled out one of Snake's C4 explosives and tossed it up in the air and caught it a few times. "Heh heh."

The four survivors made their way down the narrow hallway. Closed doors stood on both sides of them, probably vacant due to the fact that everyone was gone.

"Let's just get to the bottom floor and get out of here," said Link. Leon led the way. He located the elevator and hit the button to go down. He prayed it worked. The elevator was on the first floor and had to work it's way up 26 floors. Leon tapped his foot on the ground. Samus shivered in her varia suit, but Link could sense it. "Something wrong?" he asked. Samus realized he was speaking to her.

"Oh, nothing. There's just something about that merchant guy I don't trust." Leon turned to face the group.

"You're telling me. That guys been following me ever since I ended up in this hellhole," he said. Ness was standing to the side, playing with his yo-yo.

"I sense Lucario's aura again. I think he's underground."

"Under the city? How'd he get down there?" asked Link. The elevator stopped at the floor they were on with a ding, but the doors wouldn't open. Leon went to inspect it.

"That's strange. The doors stuck."

"Maybe it's not working?" said Samus.

"No, it's working just fine." Leon kicked the door hard with his foot. The doors started to open. "There we go- Ah!"

The elevator was jam-packed with zombies. They noticed the four survivors and startd to pile out of the elevator. Leon jumped back from the door. "Jeez!" he said while shooting a zombie in the front in the leg with his handgun. The zombie fell over causing zombies behind it to trip over the body. The zombies' attack was very unorganized as most of them were already on the ground and trying to get back up. Ness froze while pulling off a sleeper trick. Link stepped back a little.

"Stairs anyone?"

The survivors turned around and ran to a door leading to a flight of spiral stairs. Ness looked over the railing to see how far they had to go.

"Whoa..." Indeed it was a long way down, but that did not stop Link from leading the way.

"Come on!"

The zombies were back on their feet and moving to the door. By the time they reached the spiral stairs, the survivor were already two floors below them.

"Do you think they can come down stairs?" asked Samus to Leon. Leon heard the sound of bones being cracked on cement behind him. He turned around to see a zombie body falling down the stairs towards him.

"Look out!" They got out of the way, barely missing the beaten monster.

"Does that answer your question?" said Leon. Samus rolled her eyes in her helmet.

"Guys! More of them!" cried Ness.

More zombies were falling down the stairs, this time there was about 5 of them. Link jumped on top of the railing to avoid getting hit. He grabbed Ness' hand and pulled him up with him. Leon and Samus dodged left and right on the narrow stairway.

"Darn, there's a lot of them!" More started falling. Leon jumped over one as he heard the sound of it's neck breaking. He looked at Link and Ness who were safe on the railing. "Why didn't I think of this before?" he asked himself. Leon jumped on the rail and slid down. "Come on!" He yelled. All the zombies were now falling down the stairs. There was no room to dodge. Samus jumped on the rail. She was not sliding down very fast. Her suit was creating too much friction between her and the rial. Link looked up and saw her caught.

"Ness, go on, I'll catch up," he said to his short friend.

"Okay, just be careful." Ness slid down the rail, slowly catching up to Leon. Link called to Samus.

"Samus turn into a ball! I can carry you down! Whoa!" Link dodged a zombie that almost hit him in the face.

"Okay! Catch!" Samus turned into her morph ball form and jumped into Link's hands.

"Alright, let's go!" Link slid down he rail, the weight of Samus' armor helping them accelerate. Ness and Leon were a few floors below them.

"Almost there!" shouted Leon. He had to make sudden stop at the bottom, otherwise he would have flew right into a pile of undead civilians. Ness didn't realize this and took off the railing like a plane. Leon quickly grabbed his collar before he could land on the zombies.

"Whew, thanks."

"Don't mention it." Link and Samus made it down safely, most of the zombies still tumbling down the stairs behind them. "Hey, where's Samus?" asked Leon. Link placed the ball on the ground and Samus popped back up.

"I'm right here," she replied. Leon was impressed.

"I don't want to know how you did that. Let's just get out of here." The others nodded and they went out into the main lobby. It was a mess down here, but the survivors ignored it all. They had a mission to do and they didn't need anymore distractions. The automatic doors weren't getting any power so Leon kicked it down and they ran outside. After a few steps, they all stopped and turned to Ness.

"Okay, where is he?" asked Samus. Ness focused his mind and his PSI.

"Uhh...that way!" he shouted pointing west. They ran down the torn street, running past the broken vehicles, the dead bodies and the fallen street lights. They had been in the city so long that the smell was no longer bothering them, but none of them had noticed. Ness stopped in the front.

"What's wrong?" asked Link. Ness looked north. He sensed people...dying.

"Link, do you hear that?" he asked. Link put his hand to his ear to listen. It was faint, but he concentrated and blocked out all the other noises. He heard gunfire and the cries of men losing their lives and their will to live.

"What is it?" asked Leon. Link turned to his comrades.

"Nothing, let's just find Lucario and get out of here. I'm getting sick of this place." They continued to run into the distance.

In a northern part of the city a small group of soldiers were being mutilated by a large group of zombies. Bodies lay scattered all over the cement and the smell of blood filled the air. Among the dead, a soldier with a green tactical vest and cargo pats lay under a tilted street light. He wore a black gas mask with blue tinted lenses. He had a large gash on his throat where he was bitten. Blood was still seeping out of it. The zombies moved over his body like it was part of the environment. He was nothing anymore. Once a human. But not anymore. The Umbrella logo was stitched onto his uniform's left arm. His badge was covered in blood, but the words engraved on it still poked through the crimson. "Captain Laliberte."


	9. Secrets of the Underground

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** Please review! I would like to hear you're comments very much.

Chapter 9: Secrets of the Underground

The four survivors moved down the city streets. Lucario's aura was close, but it was no where near the surface. Cold blood ran up and down Samus' veins. She tensed her muscles and kept running. Ness lead the way, trying to locate the mysterious energy. Link and Leon followed respectively. It wasn't until they came up to a manhole cover that Ness stopped. They all circled the round plate at their feet.

"He's here," said Ness. Leon knelt down and examined the grate.

"There's no way we'll be able to move this thing. Someone bolted it to the ground," replied Leon. Link thought about reaching for one of his bombs, but discarded the idea completely. The cover was way to thick for any regular bomb to pierce. There had to be another way around. Samus scanned the area through her visor. There were no accessible ways to the underground. She scanned a second time. This time she noticed a small drain near a cracked sidewalk.

"Over there," she said. They all went over to inspect the drain. Blood was pouring down it slowly. Rumbling sounds could be heard down below.

"How do we get down there?" asked Link.

"I could turn into my morph ball," replied Samus.

"I can fit down there, I think," said Ness. They heard voices coming from down there.

"There's something down there," said Leon sharply. They all paused for a moment. Samus and Ness could fit, but that would mean splitting up the team.

"Maybe you guys could find another way around?" suggested Ness. Link looked up the road.

"We're going to have to. The sooner we find Lucario, the sooner we can get the heck out of here. I say we go for it."

A dark figure was approaching them from the road Link was looking at. "What's that?" asked Ness. No one replied. They watched the figure slowly rise after each step it took. It stood 8 feet in height and had a large upper body. It's right hand seemed to be made up of sharp claws, except of the middle finger which was replaced with a long spear-like weapon.

"It's another one of those monsters," said Leon, pulling out his TMP. Link armed his bow and took aim. Samus loaded a rocket and took aim with her arm cannon. Ness did not move. What was it? The creature was breathing heavily as it approached the survivors.

"Don't fire yet. Let's see what it does first," said Link. Leon rolled his eyes.

"Does that thing look friendly to you?" he replied.

The creature howled into the night air. The sound was ear shattering. Ness covered his ears. Link tried not to flinch as the sound ate at his eardrums. That thing was loud. Leon opened fire with his weapon. "That thing isn't making it this far!" he shouted. The creature took a few steps back from the bullets, but absorbed them like they were made of paper. Leon reloaded his weapon. The creature started sprinting to the survivors. Samus' blood went dead cold. The monster was coming, but why did it seem so familiar to her? Had she seen it before? Was it a some kind of monster that she had only heard stories of as her life as a child? Did the chozos know anything about this at all? Or was this all just a coincidence? She remembered the documents in Meta Knight's possession. This creature was deadly. But what was it? It attacked with claws and lunges, but what was it's name? She thought hard on the spot as the thing ran to them. Link was launching arrows quickly while Leon stood his ground and fired wildly with his weapon.

"Tyrant!" Samus shouted.

The tyrant leaped into the air and came down on Leon. He did a roll dodge, but wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and landed in a cluster of garbage cans. Fortunately, he did not drop his gun. The creature swung it's large arm around and whacked Link right in the chest, disarming him and sending him flying onto a broken police cruiser 40 feet away. Samus turned to her close enemy. She looked up into it's cold eyes. It stared back at her with death on its mind. The tyrant lunged at Samus with it's 'spear' but she jumped out of the way next to Ness. Leon got out of the garbage pile and shouted to the two unhurt survivors.

"Get out of here! Link and I will handle this thing!" Samus looked over to him.

"What?! Are you crazy?! It'll kill you!" Leon fired his weapon off again at the tyrant to make it turn to him. Empty shell casings fell into the garbage cans.

"Just go! You have a chance of finding you're friend! Don't waste it!" The tyrant leaped at Leon and struck him with it's powerful arm. Leon flew into a brick wall and fell to the ground, unconscience. The tyrant turned to Samus, the same cold look in it's eyes. Samus looked to Ness and then to the drain.

"Come on!" Samus turned into her morph ball mode and rolled into the drain. Ness hesitated before sliding into the wet hole. Link emerged from the car and looked at the tyrant.

"Eat this!" Link pulled out a bomb and chucked it at the monster. It hit it in the face, but it did not seem to do any damage to it.

The tyrant stood in the street, waiting for it's prey to come to it. Link realized that the only way to damage this thing was to use his Master Sword. He pulled out his sword and shield and looked at them. These weapons have helped him out of trouble hundreds of times before. He hoped that they would not fail him now. Link ran onto the street and faced the tall beast. It stared back at him with evil intentions. Some kind of liquid was dripping from the monsters chest. It flexed it's muscles and took a step towards Link. Link's instinct made him back off, but he fought back his fears and walked up to the creature. The tyrant stared down at the young Hylian. It was still breathing cold breaths of air. Link looked to his fallen comrade by the brick wall and brought his attention back to the monstrosity before him. "If I don't kill this thing now, it'll kill Leon and probably hunt down Samus and Ness. I must stop this thing now!" thought Link. The creature waved it's weapon about slowly, as if it was waiting for Link to make the first move. Link rubbed his feet into the ground. He planned to charge it at full speed to try to get it by surprise. The tyrant anticipated Link's actions and crouched slightly to maintain it's own ground. Link kicked off his feet and leaped high in the air. He came down on the monster with his sword.

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Samus and Ness wandered around in the sewers of Raccoon City. The stench bit at their noses but they held it back. The smell of human waste, blood and rotting flesh was not very appealing and almost made Ness puke. He held it back. He had a mission to do and he didn't want to show Samus that he was afraid. Why was he even here? Oh yeah, he can sense Lucario's aura the best out of all of them.

He never would have joined the Smash Bros. if he had known that it meant wandering around in a city infested with monsters. He remembered his mother back in Onett. The smell of her making his favourite food, steak, filled his imagination. What he would do for a steak right now. He remembered his sister, who still probably had a large sum of his life's savings with her. He kind of regrets being the chosen one right now. He wished he was traveling the world with Paula, Jeff, and Poo, but they were all long gone right now. They already had their adventure a long time ago. This was what was going on now.

He walked along the side of the sewage water on a dirty platform. He looked up to the bounty hunter behind him She didn't say anything. She must be thinking about Link and Leon.

"I hope they're okay," thought Ness. It was dark, so Ness lit his Pk fire on his hand and led the way.

Samus kept her cannon armed with her rocket. She hasn't had to use it yet. She had a feeling she would be using it very soon. The green water below them was splashing onto the platform. Ness' shoes got covered in icky waste. He made a face at it and tried to kick it off. Samus put her arm on his shoulder which made him jump.

"Let's hurry. Do you know where he is?" she asked. Ness pointed forward with his flaming finger.

"He's that way." The water splashed up against the platform again, this time wetting Samus' footwear. They continued forward through the dead cesspool. Ness was feeling uneasy. Samus could sense from his shaking legs.

"Ness, what's wrong?"

"I...sense something. Something is down here with us..." Samus looked around the dark tunnel.

"Where? Do you have any idea?"

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it's closer than we-"

A large mouth came out of the water and attempted to bite the survivors. They quickly backed off from the edge, dodging the assault. The creature sank back into the water. Samus gasped.

"What was that thing?" she said. Ness had fallen down and was sitting on the ground.

"I...I'm not sure." The monster jumped back out of the water, this time Samus got a clear view of what it was. A large snake-like monster with a huge mouth lined with teeth came towards her. She fired her rocket into it's mouth making it bleed on the inside. The monster cried with pain as it retreated to it's underwater prison. Samus and Ness stared at the water.

"Is it gone..?" asked Ness.

"I-"

A huge wave of sewage water rose and came down on the two survivors. Both of them fell into the water, Ness' PK fire doused. They were both swimming for they're lives.

"Samus!"

"Hang on! I'm coming!" She felt a rough scale touch the side of her body. Ness suddenly was pulled under the water.

"Ness!" Samus looked around, but Ness was no where to be found. "Ness!" Samus cried, but it was no use. Ness was under the water with that monster. She was about to give up all hope when she saw a cluster of bubbles rise. A green light shined under the water and Ness rose back to the surface, gasping for breath. "Ness!"

"Hurry! I've stalled it! We have to get out of here!" They both swam for the platform and climbed up. They ran down the narrow strip as quick as they could. Ness was dripping from head to toe and his hair was plastered to his forehead.

Water rose up again and splashed the smashers back into the creature's lair. Samus was completely submerged in the green liquid. She looked down to see the monster coming straight for her with it's mouth wide open. She quickly turned into the morph ball. Ness saw the giant monster jumped out of the water with a loud 'Chomp!' as if it had eaten something that was already underwater. He gasped. "Samus!" The monster sank back into the water and turned to it's other meal. It swam for the boy. Ness could never outswim it. He closed his eyes tight.

Suddenly, the creature stopped abruptly. It started shaking and soon enough, it exploded, raining blood and guts all over the sewer walls. Samus emerged from the calamity. She seemed to be breathing heavily.

"I never thought I would have to use that super bomb," she said. Ness just smiled. His smile faded when he noticed the water was moving. It was draining!

"Samus!" he cried. "We gotta get out of here!"

Samus nodded but was overcome by the swift current of the water. It formed a whirlpool in and Samus was sucked under. Ness followed her underneath the green liquid.

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The tyrant jumped back and lunged again at Link who blocked with his shield. The force of the attack sent him flying back a few feet, but he recovered quickly. He had managed to wound the tyrant across the chest with a slash of his sword. Blood was dripping down the end of his most powerful weapon. The creature leaped at him, but Link dodged and slashed again, this time striking the tyrant in the back. It cried in pain as it knelt down, shocked from the sudden damage it took. Link took this opportunity and slashed quickly with his sword, striking different spots each time on the monster's back. Blood was flying everywhere and Link had to wink because some blood had gotten in his eye. He did not expect the tyrant to recover so quickly as it whacked him with it's hand and he was launched 20 feet in to the air. He dropped his sword from the blow and landed on the pavement. He opened his eyes to see the tyrant come down on him with it's 'spear' and slash. Link put his shield up in front of him and blocked the heavy attack. The weight of the monster was crushing his body as he was lying on the cement. He looked around.

"There has to be something I can do!" he thought.

He looked over to the manhole cover and back into the face of his enemy. The face was torn and ugly as it stared back at him. He put his legs up under the shield and kicked out. The tyrant fell off of him and stumbled back. Link quickly stood up and pushed into the tall monster with his shield. The tyrant was pushed back even further, over the manhole cover. The tyrant tried to fight back, but Link's shield kept it from getting to him. The weight of the monster was too much for the cover to sustain as it broke open and the tyrant fell right through into it. It cried as fell into the dark hole. Link fell backward and panted heavily. A loud cracking sound was heard when the tyrant reached the bottom.

"Whew."

He got up and retrieved his sword and bow and holstered them all. He then ran over to Leon to tell him about the good news.

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"Ugh...where are we?" asked Ness. Samus stood up. She peered around the room. They were still underground, this time in a room filled with garbage.

"This must be where all the cities garbage is dumped...disgusting." Ness stood up slowly.

"I think I broke something," he said. Samus examined his wet body. His cap was facing downwards from the water it had absorbed. His shirt was dark in colour and his hair was covering his eyes. "Oh, wait, never mind."

The water on Samus' body made her armor look all shiny. Good thing it was water resistant. The only light in the room was coming from a single torch that was lit above a rusted door in the corner. Ness dried himself with his PK fire. "Let's go over there. Lucario's aura is strong." They went to the door. It was stuck, the hinges were too rusted for it to open. Ness shrugged his small shoulders. "Now what?"

"Stand back."

They listened closely to what was going on on the other side. Banging and the sound of rocks hitting metal were heard. The sound of a large creature screeching could be heard as well. What the hell was going on over there? Samus loaded a super rocket and took aim at the door. "Brace yourself. There's a monster on the other side of the door. Be prepared to fight," she said. Ness nodded and readied one of his Pk fires. Samus fired the powerful rocket, making the door explode instantly. "Now!"

They both jumped through the smoke into the large room. Samus and Ness were speechless to what they saw. A large centipede that must have been at least 100 feet long was running about the metallic room, attempting to chase down a figure in blue. Samus and Ness recognized this figure immediately.

"Lucario!" they both shouted.

Lucario looked to them and jumped up high. The centipede made an attempt to bite him but it hit it's head off the metal ceiling and was stunned. Lucario ran up to the two survivors.

"It's about time you showed up! Where is everyone else?" he asked hastily. Samus looked to the stunned monster before turning back to the pokemon.

"They're up there looking for you. We got separated from the others awhile back." The centipede howled and charged towards the three smashers.

"No time to chat! Move!" shouted Lucario.

He jumped up high in the air. Samus dodged to the side of the attack. Ness wasn't so lucky. The large bug scooped him up in his arms and was trying to carry him to a corner of the room.

"Help!" Ness cried. Samus tried to chase down the creature and fire at it, but it was too fast.

"Lucario! It's going to eat him!" Samus called. Lucario landed in front of the creature and used his Force Palm, but the monster dodged and whacked him with it's tail. Lucario was sent flying into the wall.

"Ahhh!!" he cried.

"Lucario! No!" Samus looked to see the centipede rear up and open it's mouth. It's claws brought Ness up to it's face and it hissed at him with hunger.

"AHHH!!"

"NO!!"

Suddenly, there was an explosion on the other side of the metal room. Rocks and metal scrap clanked onto the floor and kicked up dust. The creature stopped what it was doing to analyze the cause of the explosion. A tall man stood amidst the rubble. He had a scruffy look about him and a black bandana strapped around his forehead. He was hunched over, tired from the effort he used. He was breathing heavily. Samus looked over and froze on the spot.

"Oh my God, it's..."

Solid Snake pointed a strong finger towards the beast as the smoke cleared. "Hey ugly! Get you're slimy claws off that boy!"


	10. A Shadow in the Light

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** Just want to thank ScriptLord for being my third reviewer and don't worry, you'll be seeing plenty of Ness in the next few chapters. As for the rest of you, REVIEW YOU FOOLS!!! Enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 10: A Shadow in the Light

Solid Snake leaped at the monster and drop kicked it in the face. The centipede cried in pain as it dropped the boy on the ground. Snake managed to land first and catch Ness before hitting the ground. The Centurion shook it's head to get a clear look of the situation. A tall man and boy stood before him and attempted to run back to the group. A cyborg in orange was on the other side of the room with a large green cannon pointed at it's head. A large hole in the wall was on the other side of the room next to the blue creature. The Centurion turned back to Snake and Ness and lunged at them. Snake grabbed Ness in his arms and jumped out of the way and back over to Samus. She kept her aim on the monster and fired a rocket. It hit the centipede's tough armor but did not seem to do any damage. The sight of this monstrosity reminded Samus of her days on Zebes.

She recalled fighting a giant insect similar to the Centurion on Brinstar. It was an aggressive encounter. She was lucky to have survived it. But now, the weapon she used to best that creature, had no effect at all on this bug. Snake put down Ness in front of her and he smirked.

"Long time no see," he said. She lowered her weapon and turned to him.

"Snake! You're alive! But how?!" Snake turned to the Centurion that was stampeding right towards them.

"Not important now, Sam. This monster has to go. In order to kill it, you have to combine you're attacks with Lucario and Ness. I'll try to buy some time!" Snake ran up to the Centurion and performed a high kick on it's head. The creature was sent back a few feet from the force. This warrior was powerful. Not only had Snake received special military training in his younger days, but now he was a certified smasher. One of the most powerful fighters known to Earth. Snake jumped again, this time striking the creature below it's jaw and making it fall backwards. It struggled to get up. "Samus! Now!" he called to his friends. Samus looked at Lucario who was charging an Aura Sphere.

"My rockets won't work...Maybe my beam will..." she thought. Samus charged her beam to it's full strength. "Ness! We'll attack together!" Samus told her small companion. Ness' knees were shaking from the turn of events, but he pulled himself together and nodded.

"PK....." chanted Ness as a large green light was forming above his head. The Centurion was back on it's feet. Snake jumped again to kick it, but it dodged and slashed him with it's claw. Snake was sent hurling against a far wall.

"AHH!!" he cried. Lucario tried to ignore Snake's suffering. His Aura Sphere was at full strength now, but the centipede was heading right for him.

"Take this!" he yelled. The large orb of blue energy shot right at the Centurion. The monster dodged again and slammed Lucario into a wall, creating a massive hole where it hit.

"Lucario!" Samus cried. Her beam was finished charging and she turned to Ness who was still charging his PK Flash.

"Samus! I can't hold it for long!" Ness cried. The green light was slowly heading for the monster. If they were going to have any hope of hitting it, the Centurion must be immobile. "Samus!" cried Ness again. Snake got up from the wall and leaped at the creature. He landed on top of it's head and was trying to hold it still. The Centurion flailed about, trying to get the man off it's head. Snake cursed loudly as Lucario emerged from the new hole in the wall. His Aura Sphere was fully charged.

"Samus! Shoot now!" cried Snake as he was thrown off. Samus nodded and fired her beam at the Centurion. Lucario fired his Aura Sphere at the exact time and they combined to form a dark blue ball of energy.

"...Flash!!!" shouted Ness. The PK Flash combined with Samus and Lucario's attack to form a dark blue explosion on top of the creature.

"Aura Beam Flash!" Samus, Lucario and Ness shouted.

The Centurion was blasted by the powerful force and exploded all over the room. Blood and guts splattered across every inch of the room. It started raining down from the ceiling onto the four smashers. Snake ignored the insides on him and smiled at his fellow survivors.

"Nice shot. I didn't know you guys could do that," he said. Samus wiped the guts from her helmet view.

"Me neither." Lucario made his way over to the others, trying to avoid being hit by the falling blood. Ness was sitting on the floor, panting from all the power he had unleashed on the Centurion. "Good job, Ness," said Samus offering a hand. Ness grabbed it graciously and pulled himself up. His shoes were all bloodstained from the battle. Snake nodded to him.

"Yeah, nice job, kid." Samus turned to the tall man.

"You mind explaining how you got here?" she asked plainly. Snake looked up at the ceiling as a large chunk of bug guts fell on his face. He wiped it off with one hand and looked back at Samus.

"Sure. Right after I get out of this blood bath." Samus and Lucario nodded and they followed Snake to the door on the other side of the room. Ness ran up behind, but not without looking back on the huge mess they had caused. He examined his blood stained hands. They were still glowing green from his last attack with Samus and Lucario.

"I'm gonna have to remember that attack..." he thought to himself. He followed his comrades through the door.

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"Claire! Where are you!?"

Leon wandered through the dark city streets. Something was wrong. This city looked like Raccoon City, only something was terribly wrong. The entire city was covered in blood. Not a single sign of human life was around him. He looked up at the eerie buildings staring back down at him. Leon called again.

"Claire! I've come to save you!"

Leon looked up ahead to see the merchant in his blue trench coat staring at the ground. He quickly ran up to him.

"Merchant! Do you know where Claire is?"

The merchant was swaying back and forth. "Merchant!" Leon called again. The merchant chuckled under his breath.

"Aye, I know where she is, strangah. But you'll have to pay the price if you want to know where she is," replied the short man, still looking downward. Leon checked his pocket for his wallet. He couldn't find it anywhere. His pocket was empty. Leon looked down and noticed that his attache case was missing too. Not even his knife was in its holster.

"What happened? Where's my stuff?" The merchant chuckled again.

"Sorry strangah, but it's gonna cost ya." Leon looked back at the dirty man. What's wrong with him?

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Leon. The merchant looked up at him, his eyes pitch red.

"I'm fine strangah. Never better. How're you this evenin'?" Leon stepped back.

"Um, I'm okay. I'm looking for Clarie. I'm worried about her."

"Oh, the pretty lady, strangah? She's dead." Leon froze. Dead?

"What do you mean she's dead? Don't fuck with me or else I'll knock that scarf off you're ugly face." The merchant chuckled again.

"I'm not joking, strangah. I never joke. I do business and that is my job. To do business. Now, what're ya buyin'?" The merchant opened his coat for Leon to see.

Leon nearly screamed when he saw what was under the merchant's coat. The merchant was not carrying weapons under his sleeve, no. He was not carrying herbs or bullets either. What Leon saw was the horrifying faces of severed heads in his coat. Severed, bleeding heads of people. People who he knew. Link's, Samus', Ness', Ashley's, and Ada's severed heads all lined up in his coat, all staring back at him with looks of horror and death in their eyes. Leon stepped back a few steps.

"What...did you do to them?!" Leon finally cried. The merchant laughed.

"What do ya mean, strangah? I didn't do nothin'. Won't you buy a weapon? I'll sell 'em cheap!" Leon closed his eyes.

"Stop! Don't show me those!" The merchant folded his coat back up.

"Okay, strangah. What about this side?" The merchant opened up the other side of his coat. This sight horrified Leon even more. He saw his own severed head hanging by a hook in the coat.

"It's...me?..." he choked. The merchant laughed.

"Strangah! You're crazy! This is the custom TMP I gave you earlier! Won't you have it back? I'll give it to ya free of charge!" Leon stepped back even more. The merchant followed him for every step he took in the crimson city.

"No..no...this doesn't make any sense..." said Leon. The merchant reached into the bowels of his coat and pulled out a brown paper bag with two holes in it. Leon recognized the bag but he could not recall where he had seen it before.

"You want Claire back, strangah?" asked the merchant as he slipped the paper bag over his head. "Well, you can't have her. I told ya strangah, she's dead. You couldn't save her. YOU FAILED." Leon staggered back and fell down.

"NO! She's not dead!" The merchant laughed maniacally as he pulled a large, buzzing chainsaw out of nowhere and started walking towards Leon.

"Sorry, strangah, but you have to pay. You have to pay the price. Now...DIE!!" The merchant swung the buzzing instrument of death at Leon. He quickly rolled to the side, nearly losing his right arm. "You're cheatin' strangah! You're cheatin'!" cried the merchant as he lifted the chainsaw up high over his head and brought it down on Leon. Leon lifted his legs up and flipped the merchant over his body and onto the road behind him. The chainsaw fell from the merchant's hands and fell on the red cement with a clank.

"She's not dead! I don't believe you!" The merchant slowly stood up, the bag still over his head.

"I told ya strangah! I told ya! See for yourself!" The merchant pointed past Leon and up the road to what appeared to be a bloody version of the R.P.D.

Claire was standing in front of the main gate, hordes of zombies behind her, barely being halted by the metal bars.

"Claire! Get away form there!" cried Leon. Claire couldn't hear him.

She kept looking around saying, "Leon, where are you? I'm scared! They're everywhere! They'll get me Leon! Why couldn't you save me?!"

"Claire! I'm right here!!!" The gates broke behind her and the army of zombies groped at Claire's body until she was on the ground, beneath the mass of monsters biting at her delicate skin. "Claire!" cried Leon as he ran to help her. He ran and ran to her, but no matter how fast or how far he ran, she never seemed to get any closer. He stopped and fell to his knees, forced to watch his partner. His friend. His love get eaten by the mindless monsters. He put his head on the ground in front of him and started crying. He could still hear her voice in his head.

"Why couldn't you save me?! Why couldn't you save me?!"

Leon heard the chainsaw start up behind him and the merchant approaching.

He closed his eyes tight and whispered, "I'm sorry, Claire." The merchant lifted the chainsaw above his head and brought it down on Leon's back.

"Told ya, strangah."

A photograph of Claire in front of the R.P.D. fell out of the merchant's pocket and landed in a puddle of Leon's cold blood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Leon! Leon wake up!" Link cried as he was shaking his sleeping comrade. Leon was stirring aggressively in his sleep against the wall.

"I'm sorry Claire! I'm sorry Claire!" he kept saying. Link smacked him across the face, which made Leon jump back into reality. "Ah! Wuh..What happened?...Where am I?..." he said. He looked up to see a Hylian with blood all over his tunic looking straight into his eyes.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was beginning to worry. You started talking in you're sleep." Leon put his hand to his temple and massaged it.

"Uh, my head. What a nightmare..." Link offered a hand to him.

"A nightmare? Wow. I don't blame you, not after taking a beating from that thing." Link looked over to the hole where the tyrant fell down. Leon grabbed his hand and pulled himself up.

"The merchant...zombies...everywhere...Claire..." Link looked to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Are...you okay?" he asked. Leon picked up his TMP and holstered it.

"Claire is somewhere here in the city. I just know it. We have to save her," said Leon, determination lighting up his blood shot eyes. Link rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, I know. Look. We have to find Samus and Ness. They could be anywhere. Do you know if there is any other way to get into the sewers?" Leon folded his arms and tried to ignore the pain pounding at his head.

"Uh...well, we can't go through the man holes in the streets. They probably blocked all of them off. Unless you want try that one," said Leon as he pointed at the open hole that imprisoned the tyrant.

"Better not. That thing is down there. It could still be alive," replied Link looking uncomfortably at the hole.

"Well....I know that the sewers are accessible through the R.P.D. but those freaks are still probably in there."

"Yeah."

"Then that leaves us only one option. The church."

"The church?" Leon pointed up the street.

"It's up over there, past the R.P.D. I know for a fact that that is the only other way to get underground in the city." Link nodded to him.

"Then let's go. We shouldn't waste time."

Link and Leon ran up the street to the church. They ran past the R.P.D and the courtyard where John's body lay. Link ignored it until he noticed two zombies chowing down on John's dead flesh. Link nearly stopped and drew his sword out, but Leon pressured him to keep moving because they did not need to attract attention. The church was just up ahead. The two of them passed over dead bodies in green uniform. They all wore a similar emblem of an Umbrella on their left arm.

"There must have been a battle here," thought Link as he noticed bodies of tyrants lying around too. He followed Leon up to the dark structure ahead. Something was glowing in front of it.

The pair stopped in front of the church and noticed three suspicious things. A helicopter on the side that was on fire, a tyrant lying face up in the cement, and a shattered stained glass window above them. Leon looked down at the tyrant.

"It must have fell out the window," he said. Link looked at the chopper.

"They must have tried to escaped, but this thing destroyed their only means of transportation." They both looked up at the hole in the wall where the window was. "Wonder what pushed it out the window?" asked Link. Leon shrugged his shoulders carelessly, but stopped when he noticed a mysterious figure standing on top of the steeple of the church. The figure stood tall, a large trench coat covering it's entire body. It's silhouette could be seen in the full moon behind it.

"YOU!!" cried Link as he drew out his sword. Leon turned to him in confusion.

"Wait, you know this person?" Link gritted his teeth.

"He's been following me everywhere since we got here! I want to know why!" The figure did not reply, but drew out a custom TMP, one similar to Leon's, and aimed it at the two survivors. Link seethed his sword obediently. "Who are you?" he asked. The figure shot 10 rounds at them. They flinched, but they noticed the bullets were never directed at them. The tyrant below them was leaking blood all over the cement.

"It must have still been alive..." thought Leon. "And that guy...." Link stood tall. He needed answers, and he needed them now.

"WHO ARE YOU??!!" he repeated loudly. The figure holstered it's weapon and jumped down towards them. It stood in front of the church doors, it's eyes staring directly into Link's.

"Touchy aren't we?" said the shadow. Leon recognized this voice immediately and turned to Link who looked back at him with confusion. Link did not know the voice, but after hearing it a second time, he realized one true fact about this person.

"A...woman?" asked Link. The figure threw off it's hood and stepped into the moonlight.

"Long time no see, handsome," said the woman in the black coat. Leon gave a serious look at her.

"Ada..." he started. Her hair was short and black, but it shined in the white moonlight. Link looked back at Ada and then back at Leon.

"Wait, you know her?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"I'm just an old friend and nothing more," replied Ada. Link holstered his sword because he noticed Ada was still unarmed.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you," continued Ada. The two survivors drew all their attention to the mysterious woman.

"Who is she?" thought Link. "And how does Leon know her?" Ada put a hand on her hip.

"I'm here to investigate the truth behind this outbreak." Leon stepped towards her.

"How can we know you're telling the truth. You would have killed me on that island if you had to," said Leon. Ada smirked.

"I stop at nothing to get the things I need." Link was feeling uncomfortable.

"Then why hide yourself in the shadows when you could have helped us the whole time?" Ada threw off her cloak to reveal a seductive red dress. She wore black high heels on her feet which were bloody from the ground.

"Let's just say I work best alone." Leon wasn't buying it.

"We already know the perpetrators behind these attacks. I'm sure you're well aware of Umbrella, the company specializing in bio-engineering and medicine. You work for them."

"Guilty as charged."

"So, that would make you one of the criminals involved in the situation."

"Hee hee! Leon, you're funny." Leon did not reply. Ada started walking towards the flaming helicopter, the white light still glistening upon her face. "In any regular scenario, that would be true..." she started.

Link looked at the ground. What time was it anyway? Was it morning? No, the moon's still high in the sky.

"...but...Umbrella's not the one behind this outbreak." Leon looked shocked.

"Wait, you mean Umbrella has nothing to do with this?" he asked.

"As far as a I know, no. All they did was create the virus, they didn't spread it. Not after what happened in 1998." An image of Claire blew through Leon's mind, as well as an image of his severed head. He shivered.

"Then, who is it?" asked Link. Ada looked back at them from the chopper crash site.

"That, I do not know." Leon cursed.

"This just makes things so much 'better'," he thought. "Not only is Claire trapped in this city, but now I don't even know the culprits behind it. Link's friends could be as good as dead..." Link noticed Leon thinking hard and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?" he asked. Leon looked at him and took his hand off his shoulder.

"Yeah, I...I'm fine." Ada walked over to the two survivors.

"The reason why I saved you're life earlier was because you were different," she said plainly. Link raised an eyebrow.

"Different?"

"Yes, you and that other group you were with on top of the R.P.D." Link thought back for a moment.

"She must be talking about the other smashers..." he thought, "...and that means she must have been watching us then too."

"I've never seen creatures like you before," she continued. "Tell me, are those ears for real?" Link felt his long, Hylian ears, remembering that he was never a part of this world.

How he wanted to go back home. To be in the smash mansion. To brawl with his friends. To be someone. All he wanted to do was finish the tournament, but he couldn't even do that, and now because of him Lucario, Samus and Ness are missing. Not to mention Snake's accidental death. Link put his hands back down and replied.

"Uh, yeah they're real. I'm...not from around here." Ada examined him more closely. A green tunic with bloodstains? Tights? A sword and shield? Bombs, arrows and a boomerang? Just who the hell was this guy, a freak show?

"What's you're name?" asked Ada. Link hesitated before saying, "Link. Call me Link."

"Link? Hmm." Link watched her eyes watch him. What was she thinking about?

"I figured you weren't from around here. Who uses a sword nowadays anyway? Leon, you sure have a knack for picking up weird friends. First that creepy merchant guy, now this-"

"Okay! Okay! Can we move on please?" said Leon hastily. Ada looked back to her old friend.

"Is that any way to speak to a lady?" she replied. Leon was getting annoyed by this woman in red. Had she not saved his life in the past, he would have knocked her lights out right now.

"Look, I don't want to be in this city anymore than you do. I have to find Claire and he has to find his friends. If you would rather search for the 'secret organization' by yourself, than that's perfectly fine by me." Leon folded his arms. Ada just shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, you big baby, we'll have it your way. Where are we heading?" Link looked at the large building in front of them and was reminded of where they had to go.

"There's a way to the sewers from that church. Let's go," he said. Leon led the way with Ada and Link following. "Ada?...Hmm...Can she really be trusted?" thought Link.

Leon opened the double doors and walked inside. The entire room was a mess. The pews were all out of line and the altar up front seemed to be torn apart. A dead man in white lay among the rubble. Leon looked around the room.

"Coast is clear," he said. Link and Ada walked in.

"Wow, this place is a disaster," said Link.

"Tell me about it. That thing outside is probably the one that did th-" suddenly a large man jumped behind Leon and put him in a choke hold. A knife was up against his throat.

"Who are you?!" said the armed man. Ada and Link stepped back from the scene. The man holding Leon was wearing a green tactical vest with cargo pants. His hair was cut short and he wore the Umbrella emblem on his left arm. A thin scar slithered across his nose. He looked just like a soldier. "Who are you?!" the man said again. Link turned to Ada who just smirked.

"Don't worry, Leon can handle this," she said. Leon's face was getting red, but he recognized the hold he was in. He quickly put his arm under the strangers leg and leaned forward. The weight of the stranger was lifted off the ground as Leon flipped him over his body and onto the floor in front of him. The knife slid across the church tiles, far out of reach from any of the survivors.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" yelled Leon at the man under his foot. The man gave a disgusted look. Leon pulled him up in front of him by the collar and looked at him dead in the eye. "Well?" he said. The man coughed in Leon's face before saying, "sorry about that. I thought you were...aw, never mind." Leon lowered the man onto his feet and wiped his face from the spit.

"Hey, they're clean, Todd! You can come out from hiding!" called the man in green. A small man came out of hiding behind one of the fallen pews.

"Good," he said. He went over to the group. Link looked at Todd from head to toe.

"This man..." thought Link, "where have I seen him before?" The man in green gave a salute.

"I am Private Van Valchev of the Umbrella Retrieval Unit. At you're service." Leon looked at the soldier.

"What a weirdo," he thought. "First he tries to kill me and now he wants to salute me?"

"I was sent here by Umbrella to evacuate any survivors I could. Unfortunately, our transport got destroyed, as you probably saw outside. I fear for the worst of my comrades," Valchev continued. Leon looked to Todd and then back at Van.

"I saw some guys that looked like you outside. How many of you are there?" he asked. Van dropped his arms to his side. He stood straight and answered the question without hesitation.

"15 others I know of were dispatched with my unit. There was another unit that was dropped off earlier this evening, but we lost contact wit them 5 hours ago. I can't make contact with any of members of my squad. I fear that I may be the only one left..." Leon was satisfied, but he felt sorry for this man. He also felt afraid.

"More than 15 specialized troops were killed tonight by those monsters?" Leon thought.

"And what, may I ask, is you're name?" asked Van. Leon gave him a serious look.

"The names Leon Kennedy. That's Ada Wong and that's Link. We came here to find our friends." Van eyed Ada who seemed pretty suspicious of him.

"Nice body, but doesn't have the face of someone I can trust," thought the soldier. He looked at Link and started laughing. "Ha! Are you sure you're in the right fairy-tale, 'princess'?" he joked. Link was already starting to dislike this man. He made no reply. Van rubbed a tear from his eye. "Wow, never seen anyone like you. What are you, some kind of-"

"No. I'm not a fairy or an elf or any of the other crap you think I am. I am a person. My name is Link." Van stopped laughing and turned to his companion.

"Oh it's all fun and good. This is Todd the only survivor (other than that stupid priest) that I found. Had it not been for me, he would have been frozen in a freezer full of dead birds." Leon and Ada did not want to know the story behind that rescue. Link tried to think back.

"Freezer?" he thought. "Could he be the frozen man that fell on me in that kitchen?" Todd waved to them, but was kind of afraid of Leon for throwing down Van. Todd looked back at the pew that had Van's gas mask and gas tank and turned back to the group.

"We're running out of time. This city is going to explode in a matter of a few hours. We have to find our friends now," said Leon. Van and Todd looked surprised.

"Wait, what do you mean 'explode'?" asked Van. Leon, Ada and Link all looked surprised too. Obviously, this soldier's superiors did not inform him on how they were going to 'clear out' the city.

Ada hesitated before saying, "a government missile is going to destroy the entire city, along with any traces of the undead monsters outside." Van looked shocked.

"They're...going to destroy the city...and they didn't tell us..." he said slowly. Todd looked afraid.

"Are you kidding me?! That's insanity!" he cried. Leon looked at the floor.

"It's the truth. We don't have much time. But I don't plan on getting out of the city without Cl- I mean, my friend," he said. Link looked around the church.

"How are we going to get to the sewers from here?" he thought. Almost on cue, Leon walked over in front of the altar and stomped on a large tile below his foot. The sound echoed through the church.

"Here," he said. The others came over and Van and Link helped him lift the large tile off the ground. A large hole now stood in it's place. It was dark, but the group could hear running water below them. "This is where we start," said Leon. Todd backed away.

"There's no way I'm going in there!" he cried. Van rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's either we stay here and wait for our doom, or we go with these guys and they help us get out of the city," he said. Todd did not reply, but nodded slowly back at him.

"Let's do this," said Ada. She jumped into the large hole, her body disappearing before their very eyes. They all paused and heard a splashing noise coming from below. "It's okay! You can come down!" she called.

Link nodded and jumped next. He landed with a splash. Leon turned to Van.

"You know, you don't have to come with us," he started. Van looked down the hole and back at Leon.

"I know. I just think it would be easier for us all if we stayed as a group. My mission is to get Todd out of the city. Going with you guys seems like my best bet," he replied. Leon nodded.

"Fine, suit yourself. You're next, Todd." Todd closed his eyes and fell into the hole. A splashing sound was heard followed by someone yelling, "Ow!" Van looked down the hole and hesitated. He checked his flashlight to make sure the battery life was set. 2 hours. More than enough time. Van jumped into the hole and a large splash was heard at the bottom.

"Let's go, Leon!" called Link from underground.

Leon took one last look at the dead priest. He made the sign of the cross.

"God, help us."

Leon closed his eyes before jumping into the dark.

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Samus, Lucario, Ness and Snake wandered down the ancient underground. Lit torches on the walls around them led the way down a narrow path. Brown stone walls stood tall on both sides of them as they made their way down the hallway. Samus turned to Ness who was doing his best to stand tall. His hand was sparkling a little from the mass of energy he had released. There was blood on his hands and legs. He was in pretty bad shape. Samus felt sorry for the poor boy. She stopped the group from continuing on, saying that Ness was too weak and tired to walk. She convinced Ness to put up his PSI shield and absorb some of Samus' and Lucario's energy. This made him feel much better and he was soon energetic all over again. Samus was glad that he was okay.

They continued walking. Snake was ahead of the group, followed by Lucario, then Ness, then Samus. Samus found it uncomfortable to follow a man whom she thought was dead for the past 6-7 hours. She couldn't keep the question bottled up inside her any longer.

"Snake," she started, "how did you survive?" Snake stopped walking, making the others stop behind him. He sighed.

"You want to know?" he asked. Samus nodded, but noticed he wasn't looking at her, so she said, "Yes." Lucario leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to heal his wounds from the last battle with his aura.

"After Link and that jackass climbed to the roof, I thought I was a goner."

Samus remembered the entire scene. She and the other survivors made it to the roof, but Snake was left at the bottom, forced to fight off an army of the living dead.

"There was no where I could run. I felt...trapped," Snake said, remembering the whole situation. "I noticed a manhole in front of me, but it was bolted shut. I realized I had John's magnum on me still, so I used the powerful bullets to break the cover open and jump into the hole. Zombies that tried to follow me did not make it down alive because the drop to the sewers was too great for them. Eventually, they clogged up the hole, so no zombie at all could follow me. I realized that I dropped my gun up on the street, but it was a small price to pay compared to my own life." Lucario opened his eyes.

"This is where I found you," he said. Snake nodded.

"Yes, exactly. I ran into Lucario while wandering the sewers. He said that he came looking for us when we disappeared from the mansion. We tried to find a way back to the surface, but could not because all the manholes had been covered completely. We ran into some trouble along the way. Giant spiders and moths that lived down here. We even ran into a frickin' crocodile!" Samus leaned against the wall too.

"Wow," she said. Ness sat on the ground, the sparkling on his hands completely gone. Snake continued his story.

"There was a cave-in caused by the crocodile, which got me and Lucario separated from each other. I don't know where he went, but I stumbled upon something very suspicious."

Snake reached into his pocket and pulled out a large pendant that was shaped like a heart. It was red and had a lot of jewels covering it.

"Does this mean anything to you?" he asked the others. Samus and Ness shook their heads. Lucario made no reply and closed his eyes again. "Well, I found this somewhere down here." Snake pocketed the gem. "I have a feeling that there's more behind this outbreak than there may seem."

"What do you mean?" asked Samus.

"Before I found you guys, I ran into another person..." he replied.

"Another person?"

"Yeah, but this guy was no ordinary civilian. He was wandering around down here and chanting some crazy spell, I think. He was wearing a black robe and kept making whispering sounds....sound familiar?" Samus and Ness shook their heads again.

"No," she replied. Lucario opened his eyes.

"Wait, a man in a black robe?" he asked.

"Yeah, and he was all hunched over and chanting some weird spell or something." Lucario got off the wall and stepped into the middle with Snake.

"I saw a man like that, too, after you and I got separated." Snake rubbed his chin.

"So there's more of these guys down here..." he said. Samus stepped forward.

"But who are they?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling they have something to do with all the freaks walking around upstairs." Ness stood up.

"We should get moving," he said, "we're running out of time as it is." Lucario nodded.

"Agreed, but we need to find a way back to the surface," he said.

"Oh, I almost forgot," started Samus. She pressed some buttons on her wrist control and brought it up to her face. A holographic projection of the main deck of her ship appeared in blue. "Merchant, we found Lucario. Can you get close to our position?" The merchant made no reply, in fact he wasn't even on the screen. "Merchant! Where the hell are you?!" Still the room was blank. "Where is he?" asked Samus as she closed the projection. Snake pointed towards the door ahead of them.

"We can contact you're transport later. Let's just see if we can get out of here," he said.

The four of them made their way to the metal door. It seemed a bit rusted but it looked durable. It should open with no problem. Snake went up to it and put his ear against it. Samus loaded a rocket and checked her energy level.

"72%...This suit should last..." she thought. Snake turned to the other survivors.

"There are voices coming from the other side. I can't tell what they're saying, though," he said.

"They could be hostile. Keep you're guard up," replied Lucario as he finished charging an Aura Sphere. Ness pulled out his baseball bat.

"Let's do this," he said confidently. Snake cracked his knuckles.

"Okay."

He stepped back and broke down the heavy door with his foot.


	11. Those Behind the Scene

Into the Dark

**Author's Note: **Could you guys do me a favour and please review? I know I've been asking a lot lately, but I just find it rude that you guys are reading my crap and you're not saying anything about it. After this chapter, please, just consider it. Thanks!

Chapter 11: Those Behind the Scene

Snake lunged at the first figure he saw which appeared to be a black figure. He put the person in a head lock and looked around the room at the other people. Something wasn't right. Samus, Lucario and Ness came in quickly, armed with their weapons, but froze on the spot. The man in Snake's clutches laughed. A large group of robed figures stood around the room, all chuckling and looking at the tall man. Ness was feeling uncomfortable.

" There must be at least 30 of them, he thought. The cloaked men all wore black robes and had some of their facial features hidden in shadow. Some of them didn't even have their hoods over their heads and instead had strange tattoos covering their bald heads.

What are you guys, some sort of street gang?" asked Snake. The man in his arms did not resist the grip on his neck. Samus pointed her cannon at one figure, then turned to another quickly, not sure of which one would strike first. Lucario sensed demonic aura coming from these men.

"Who are these people?" he thought. The room they were in was large and it had a high ceiling. Just how far underground were they? A portrait of an old man in a purple robe was hanging on the stone wall on the other side. Ness flinched at the sound of the chanting.

"Ko-Hay-Lo, Ko-Hay-Lo..." the robed men chanted. Snake was feeling weird. This man in his arms wasn't even moving. Snake turned to the men that were slowly surrounding him.

"Hey, will someone answer me? Who are you?!" The men crept closer to the four survivors. Snake stepped back with his hostage. "Get back, or this guy gets it!" he called. The figures kept approaching, as if they were oblivious to their captured friend. The chanting continued.

"Ko-Hay-Lo, Ko-Hay-Lo..."

Snake had no choice at this point. He grunted as he twisted the neck of the man in his arms. The man cried silently before falling to the ground. The men ignored this and still kept coming.

"Snake! There's too many of them! We have to retreat!" cried Samus. Snake stepped back into his group. He hated to admit it but she was right. There was no way they would be able to take on all these men by themselves. An image of a man in black falling into the sewage water flashed through Snake's mind.

"Okay, let's go!" he called turning around. He stopped when he saw more men approaching from the hallway they came through. "Shit!" he cried again. Ness clutched his bat tightly, unsure of what to do. Lucario backed into the wall. Demonic aura was everywhere, and it was closing in on them fast. Samus fired a rocket at one of the men in front of her. His body exploded and blood flew onto his friends. They approached still. They approached still chanting.

"Ko-Hay-Lo, Ko-Hay-Lo..."

Samus was beginning to freak out. Whispering and chanting clawed at her ears.

"These people are mad!" she thought. Lucario fired an Aura Sphere at a close figure sending him flying back into his crowd of blackness.

"We have to fight!" cried Lucario as he charged another sphere. Ness put his bat back in his backpack and pointed his finger at an approaching man in black.

"PK fire!" he cried. The man caught fire instantly and started running about until he fell on the ground, dead. Snake ran up to one an drop kicked him in the face, knocking him down for good.

" Heh, they're not so tough," he thought. Suddenly, Snake felt cold, pale hands grab his arm. He looked to see a robed man clutching his limb, more of them following behind. "Hey!" Snake cried as he shook it off. He backed up into another man, who grabbed him around the waist. Another ran up and tackled Snake to the ground. More soon came and piled up on Snake, holding him down. 鉄amus! Lucario! he cried. But it was no use, because his three friends were also swarmed by these creepy men. Lucario was on the ground along with Samus. Ness attempted to PK fire more enemies that grabbed him. Soon, one of them punched Ness in the stomach and he fell to his knees.

Ness, no!" cried Lucario. "Get...OFF OF ME!!!" Lucario exploded with blue aura. The men that were on him were sent back into the wall. The pokemon was floating above the ground, dark aura covering his entire body. "GET AWAY FROM THEM!" he yelled. He fired huge bursts of aura which struck the robed men on Samus. They disintegrated instantly, leaving a panting Samus on the ground. Lucario shot the other figures on top of Snake and Ness. He cleared the room until every single stranger became nothing more than a bloodstain on the wall. Several holes in the wall were left from the aftermath of this rampage.

Lucario fell to the ground, his aura depleted completely. Samus and Ness ran to his side.

"Lucario!" said Samus. He had bruises all over his body from their attackers.

"My aura...it's so weak..." Lucario coughed. Samus and Ness helped him to his feet.

"It's okay, you saved our lives."

"Uh oh," said Ness. Samus looked down at the boy.

"Huh?" she replied.

"This is not good," said Snake who was looking to the other end of the room. A robed figure in red was leading a group of figures in black. The ones in black were chanting something different this time.

"Mo-Ies-Fidi, Mo-Ies-Fidi..."

The red figure approached the group and stopped in front of them. Some men in the back raised crossbows and pointed them at the four survivors. Snake hesitated.

"Is this guy their leader?" he thought. The red man pointed a finger at Snake.

" Mat-Eh-Oh!" he said. Suddenly, Snake was grabbed by two men in black and knocked out cold by a blunt hit to the head. He barely sturggled to see Samus, Lucario, and Ness also being held captive.

Shit..." thought Snake. The red man turned around to exit through the door he came in on the other side. The men in black followed along with Samus, Snake, Ness and Lucario as their hostages.

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Van led the way with his flashlight. The sewers were darker than any of them could have expected. Todd scampered closely behind followed by Link, Leon and Ada. Van looked down at the water rushing past his feet.

"Man that's gross. Hopefully, we can get out of here through this way," he thought. Leon remembered that he had his rifle strapped to his back.

"How many shots did I have left? Aw, I can't remember..." he thought. The sound of viscous water took over their ears as they ventured into this dark unknown. Van's light was small in the darkness, but at least they could see where they were going.

Link was feeling awkward since no one was speaking. He wanted to say something but he couldn't. What would there be to talk about? He had to take his mind off of the situation. He tried to think about Samus. Was she alright? He was worried. The feelings he felt for her he kept bottled up inside him. Link started to regret not telling Samus how he felt about her before she and Ness left him. He wanted to be back in the mansion. Back with all his friends. "I wonder how Zelda's doing?" Link thought to himself. Zelda was one of Link's closest friends. She was like a sister to him. Now she's out there running around in this living hell hole. Link thought back even further. "Why the heck did we come here in the first place?" An image of Samus crying flashed through his mind. "Samus...we came here to cheer her up. Oh yeah, we've been doing a 'great' job so far."

Link looked at Todd who stumbled in the dark liquid but quickly recovered his footing.

Link looked back into his memory. Captain Falcon's smug face blew across his mind. "Why didn't I kill that guy when I had the chance on the roof?" he thought again. "He's the one who got us trapped here." Link clenched his fists. He wanted to teach that narcissistic racer who he was dealing with. "No one hurts Samus and gets away with it." Link tired to plan ahead. "When we get out of here, I'm going to beat that guy so hard, he won't be able to see straight. I'll make him pay for what he did to Samus, and what he did to us!" Link bumped into Todd who stumbled forward.

"Hey watch it!" he said.

"What's the hold up?" asked Leon from behind. Van was pointing his flash light back and forth in two directions.

"There are two ways we can go here," said Van who was still ahead of the group. Leon came up and looked down both paths.

"Both of them look equally bad," he replied. Link came up.

"I say we go right. That should lead us down to where Samus and Ness disappeared," he said. Van checked both ways again.

" Okay, if you say so." They continued their way through the thick liquid between their feet. Link could feel the water penetrating the thin soles of his boots.

Not that I'm worried about getting wet. I've been underwater hundreds of times before," Link thought. The thought of going underwater reminded him of Zora's River back in Hyrule. He remembered doing the diving contest and jumping off the waterfall in Zora's Domain. The Zora's themselves were such nice and elegant creatures. He remembered Ruto, the princess of the Zora's. She had told Link that they were going to get married when she gave him the Water Pendant. And still, to this day she waits for him... 溺aybe, I'll pay her a visit sometime... thought Link. 鄭nything was better than this.

The survivors made their way up to another fork in the path. Van was getting annoyed by these sudden turns in the tunnels.

"Okay, now what?" he asked pointing the flash light back and forth like before. Link came forward again, this time, unsure of which way to go.

"Hmmm, maybe-" He was interrupted by the sound of a large roar. Everyone shook at he sound and turned in the direction it was coming from: the left fork. Waves started gushing rapidly towards the group. Not one of them moved. Something was coming their way. Something big. Link turned to the right fork which seemed to be clear of any monsters. "Let's go!" he cried. None of the others moved. They wanted to see just what they were about to face. Van held his flash light up high so he could see the distinctive features of this monster. A large reptilian creature was stampeding down the narrow tunnel towards the survivors.

"Is that a crocodile?!" shouted Van over the loud splashing.

"Not again! Everybody move!" cried Leon. The five survivors ran in the opposite direction of the beast. Not one of the could see where they were going because Van kept moving the flash light up and down while they were running. The giant crocodile was howling and in close pursuit of the group.

" Why is that thing so big?! cried Todd.

It's been infected with the virus! Quick in here!" replied Van. They jumped into a narrow path they were sure the crocodile could not fit through. They crouched down while the cold blooded monstrosity by passed them without noticing their hideaway. When the crocodile was out of sight, Van stepped out into the clearing. "Everyone okay?" he asked. Leon and Ada stepped out.

"I'm fine," she replied. Link came out next.

"That thing was huge! I never would have thought there to be one underneath the city." Todd came out last. He was shaken up from all the running. Van quickly put his arm around him and helped out the civilian.

"It's okay, you did good," he said. Leon looked down the path where the crocodile went.

"Something's not right." Ada went up to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Leon turned to her.

"I've fought a crocodile like that before. There's something different about this one, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you see how fast it was going? That thing wasn't looking for food at all. It seemed to be...afraid of something."

"Afraid of something? How could that thing be afraid of anything? It was as high as the ceiling!"

"It must be guarding the tunnels down here, otherwise it could be trying to run away, but from what?" Link turned to a platform that rose above the sewage waste. A metal, rusted door stood in front of it.

"Maybe we'll find our answers there," he said. Van went up to the platform and climbed up. He checked the door.

"Seems stable. You want to take a look?" Leon climbed up too.

"There's no sign on the door. Wonder what could be behind it?" Link's ears picked up the sound of the crocodile coming back towards them. He quickly ran up to the platform.

"Guys! It's coming back! I can hear it!" he yelled. Ada heard it too. She climbed up the platform and opened the door. It led down a hallway with stone walls and torches lit on both sides.

"Safe enough for me. You coming?" she said as she went into the next room. Link got up and went through the door too, followed by Leon. Van turned to his friend.

"Todd! Let's go!" Todd hesitated at the rumbling and waves coming from down the tunnel. He turned and climbed up the platform with Van's help.

"In here! Now!"

Todd and Van went in and Van slammed the door shut behind him. The crocodile passed them a second time, not even realizing that it had missed it's chance at a free meal. Van leaned against the door and sighed. How the hell did he get mixed up in this place anyway? He looked ahead of him to see his fellow survivors in the stone hallway. What is this place? Leon put his hand against the wall. The stone was warm, as if it was being heated by something. The lit torches lining the wall did not flicker when Link walked past them.

"There's no wind down here," thought Link, "which means there's no way out. We have no choice but to press forward." Some stone doors stood ahead on both sides of the walls. All of them looking similar to the one they came in from.

"Which way now?" asked Leon.

"How about that one at the end?" suggested Van as he pointed down the hall to a lone door. Todd's legs were shaking. He was afraid.

"Why are we down here again?" he asked as he hugged himself, regardless of the warm room they were in. Van frowned. He should never have brought a civilian down here with him. It was his job to protect people. So far, he wasn't doing a very good job. He went over to Todd and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about anything. Remember, I promised you I'd get you out of here. I'm not about to go back on my word any time soon." Todd nodded as he wiped a tear form his eye.

"Okay, then let's go," said Link as he walked towards the far door. Leon took a few steps before stopping to look at the group.

"Wait, where's Ada?" The four survivors looked around. Link, Leon, Van, and Todd. Ada was no longer with them.

"Oh, great she ditched us," said Link as he put a hand to the warm rock beside him. Leon looked at him.

"No, she didn't ditch us. If I know Ada, we'll be meeting up with her again really soon. She even told us that she works best alone. She probably feels that she doesn't need us anymore to finish her mission." At that, Link turned around to face his partner.

"Her mission? Do you know why she's here in the first place?"

Leon shuffled his feet for a second before answering, "she's here to help us get out of here. We're best not to get in her way." Link raised an eyebrow. How can she help them when she wasn't even near them?

"I don't understand," replied Link. Leon walked past him to the door.

"Look, it's best that you didn't. Van, come on." Van and Todd followed Leon to the door.

Link paused for a few seconds before catching up with the group.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Snake stirred in his sleep. He couldn't remember all that had happened. He remembered fighting what seemed like an army of robed men who were chanting something crazy. His mind went blank after that.

"Damn, how long have I been sleeping for?" he thought.

He opened his eyes to reveal a stone ceiling. "Great...we're still under the city...." He slowly got to his feet and got a good look of his surroundings. In front of him stood a cell door, with vertical metal bars laughing at him silently. The whole room around him was a sick colour of worn stone and blood. Rusted chains dangled behind him on the far wall as well as a skeleton lying face down beneath it. Snake shivered when he saw this. "Jesus...where the hell am I?"

"Snake! You're awake!" Snake turned to the voice he heard. It was Samus and she was standing in a cell across from his.

"Samus! What happened?" Samus put her hand on the bars in front of her. Her power suit was all dirty and there was some blood stains on the side of it.

"Snake! They took Ness! I don't know where he is!"

"What! What do you mean they took him?!" Snake looked past Samus into her cell to see a blue pokemon sitting on the side with his eyes closed. Snake's memories shot back at him like a bullet. "Lucario! Is he okay?" Samus turned to the pokemon in her cell then back to Snake.

"He's fine. He's just used up too much of his aura. It'll be awhile before he comes to. Snake, we have to save Ness! They took him!"

"Can't you blow up the door with you're rockets?" Samus shook her head.

"No, I can't. Those men disarmed all my rockets and explosives. All I have is the beam cannon, which can't break open this cell. I've tried already." Snake tried to look out of his cell and into the rest of the room. Luckily, there were no guards anywhere. Two more cells lay adjacent to his and Samus'. He tried to look into the cell next to Samus' but couldn't because he was on a bad angle.

"We got to find a way to break out of here!" he yelled. Samus thought for a moment.

"We have to save Ness! Who knows what they'll do to him!" she thought. Why wasn't he listening? Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging coming from the cell next to hers. "What the hell is that sound?" she said. Snake tried to look in to the cell, but again he failed.

"Who is that?!" he yelled. Suddenly, the banging stopped and the two survivors heard a voice coming from the cell.

"Is someone there?" it asked. Samus and Snake identified this voice right away.

"Ike!" they both called. Ike paused before replying.

"Samus, Snake? Is that you?" Samus went over to the wall next to Ike's cell.

"Ike, it's us! We've been captured by those men in the black robes."

"Yeah, I know, we had a little problem with them earlier."

"Can you make contact with the others?"

"No, I can't. Zelda and I got separated from them awhile back. I don't know where she is! I think that those men took her!" Snake leaned against the wall and listened to the conversation.

"Wait, Zelda's down here too?" A loud banging was heard form Ike's cell.

"Yes! And it's all my fault! Dammit! I should have fought harder!" Samus could tell that Ike was hitting the cell bars with all his might, trying to get out. She knew it was no use at all.

"Ike, listen to me. If we don't get out of here soon, Ness or Zelda could die!" Ike did not respond, but the banging continued. Snake came up to his cell bars to confront Samus.

"Is there any way you can squeeze through the bars?" he asked. Samus thought for a moment before realizing.

"I can! I have my morph ball!" Samus turned into her morph ball and slipped past the metal. She returned to her original form in front of Snake's cell. "One of the guards probably has the keys. I can find them and get you all out of here." Snake nodded.

"Sounds good. You better go check on Ike. He doesn't sound to good over there." Samus nodded and went over to Ike's cell. Ike was punching and kicking at the bars, trying to escape. His gloved hands were starting to bleed from all the pain. His sword was no where to be seen. Those men probably took it from him. His cape was torn on one end and he had blood on his chest. He did not seem to be wounded to bad. At least he could stand up.

"Ike, stop! You'll only end up hurting yourself!" said Samus. Ike did as he was told and breathed deeply.

"I need to get out of here," he replied. Samus looked at the door on one end of the prison and a door on the other end. One of them must lead to the key she needs.

"Stay here and don't waste you're energy. I'll be back to free you once I find Ness and Zelda." Ike nodded and sat one the cold ground. Samus was about to turn for the door when she heard it open. A man in black entered through it and noticed the cyborg.

"Mat-Eh-Oh!" cried the man as he pointed at Samus. He then proceeded to run at Samus with his arms out.

"Samus, look out!" cried Ike. Samus ran up to the man and kicked him in the face. The robed figure was sent flying into the wall, but got up slowly and resumed his assault. Samus cursed under her breath. She got low and when he got close enough, she sprung up with an uppercut. The force of the attack was so powerful that the man's head flew clean off his body and flew into the wall before falling on the ground. Blood spouted form the man's neck as his body swayed back and forth.

"Damn," said Snake. Ike was in shock.

"Samus, what did you do?..." he started. Samus couldn't even draw the words to react. She just knocked this guys head off. She turned back to Ike and shrugged. "Samus! Behind you!"

Samus turned to see the man's body growing a new head. Only this was not a human head. The new head had similar characteristics to that of an insect as a large mouth with teeth and claws sprouted form all the blood. The man was now 3 feet taller as the insect grew more and more. Samus stepped back from it.

"What?..."

The man started walking towards her with the monster on his head. The creature lunged at Samus, but she dodged to the side. One bite from that thing could be lethal. She tried charging her beam. The creature attacked again with sharp razors, but she rolled away. Her beam finished charging and she fired it at the monster. The man exploded and blood flew in all directions. Ike and Samus were showered, but Snake was too far to be hit. Samus wiped the blood form her visor and looked at the massive stain on the ground. "What was that thing?" she said. Ike tried to clean himself off.

"Never mind! Just get out of here!" he called. Samus nodded and ran through the door that man came through. Her suit was now red from all the blood. Snake leaned against the wall and looked at Lucario who was still unconscience.

"You're lucky you didn't get to see that," he said to the pokemon.

Samus ran as fast as she could down the halls. Her suit encumbered her running capabilities but she dealt with it the best she could. She hid behind a corner when she heard whispering. There was too many of these guys to fight, especially when she still needed to free her friends as well as save Ness and Zelda. She continued to run down the lit hallways.

"It's like a giant maze down here," she thought.

This, however, did not bother Samus at all because she was used to running around mazes. Hell, Planet Zebes was practically one giant maze if you thought about it. But that's another story all together...

Samus stopped when she heard the cries of a familiar voice.

"Help! Someone! Please!"

It was Ness. She tried to follow the voice through the labyrinth. His voice was getting louder for every step she took.

"Please be okay, please be okay," she kept telling herself. She stopped at a metal door. He was on the other side.

"Help!!" he called again.

"I'm coming Ness!" she said as she broke down the door with her foot. Suddenly, a swarm of robed men approached her. She turned into the morph ball and rolled underneath their feet. They were too stupid and confused to realize where she went. Samus rolled all the way to the other side of the room before turning back into her normal form. She turned around to see the man in the red robe standing in the center of the room. Ness was locked to a chair next him. Torches lined the blue walls again.

"Samus!" called Ness from his seat. The man in red looked at her.

"Seize her!" he ordered. 10 men in black ran up to Samus to grab her.

"Oh no, not this time." One of the men lunged at her. She crouched down and did a screw attack. The power of the attack shredded the man into nothing but a large blood stain on the floor. Samus turned to her other enemies. "Who's next?"

The others attacked all at once. Samus charged her beam while running back to the wall behind her. She jumped off of it over the group of men. She fired her beam while she was in the air and obliterated one of the robed figures in the middle of the group. The explosion caused from the blast caused the others to go flying in all different directions. They hit the ground hard but started to get up. Samus turned to the man in red, who had some kind of needle with a purple liquid inside of it in his hands.

"He's going to inject him with something?" she thought. She ran over to the red man who was about to bring it down on Ness' vein in his neck.

"Samus!!" he cried.

Samus ran up and tackled the man in red to the ground, the needle falling with him and shattering on the cold stone.

"You!" the red man cried as he got to his feet. Samus blasted the locks on Ness' seat with her beam to set him free. Ness felt his wrists to make sure they were okay. "Get them!" cried the man in red. Ness stood before him, his hands turning a fiery colour.

"PK fire!" shouted Ness. The man in red was engulfed in a mass of flame as he fell to the ground.

"Lord...Saddler..." he said before dying. A silver key gleamed in the light on his robe. Ness picked it up off the corpse.

"Do we need this?" he asked. Samus looked at the remaining men in black heading for them.

"Yes, but first let's get rid of these guys." Ness nodded and charged his PK flash.

"PK..." The men approached as a group, which they didn't realize was their downfall. Ness brought the greed light into the center of the group. "Flash!" The group exploded in the green light as blood was sent flying in all directions. Samus got covered a second time in crimson, but Ness did not because he was behind her. She received the key from him after she wiped the blood from her visor.

"Thanks," she said. Ness nodded and they both ran for the door.

"Do you know what they were going to do to you?" asked Samus as she opened the door for the small boy. Ness shook his head.

"No, they were chanting something weird. Although...the man in red did say something about making me one of them..."

"Making you one of them..." Samus repeated. "What could that mean?" Ness shrugged and they both went into the hallway. "Do you know where Zelda is?" asked Samus as she tried to clean the blood off her suit.

"I saw her being taken by some men to another room, but I don't know where she is." Samus tried to lead him back to the prison room, silver key in hand.

"We have to find her. Time is running out. I don't even know how many hours it's been since we came back from the forest." Ness realized the weight on his back was lighter than before. The torches on the walls stood idly around them.

"My backpack!" he cried. "They stole my backpack!" Samus stopped and turned to her companion.

"What was in there?" she asked.

"All my weapons and a picture of my family. I have to get it back." Samus did not reply. She wanted to help him find his backpack, but it was too insignificant to set as one of their priorities.

"We'll find it. Don't worry," she responded. Ness had his head down. He missed his mom. Samus didn't know much about Ness' personal or family life. She remembered Link telling her along time ago how Ness had left his family to go save the planet from some greater power of evil, though she didn't read it into it in much detail. She didn't know all the struggles Ness had gone through in his life as an adventurer. But she did know that he was very attached to his mother. Samus made a mental note in the back of her head, that when she rescues the other brawlers from this madness, she would help Ness find his backpack.

And that was a promise.


	12. Ada's Mission

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** This chapter is relatively short compared to the rest of my others. It is merely meant as a filler for the story. None of the main characters will make an appearance in this chapter so you may not understand what is going on unless you read the past 11 chapters already. If you haven't done that yet, I suggest you take the time and go read them. Also, this chapter marks the mid-point of my story, which means that this story is now halfway through completion. However, that does not necessarily mean that there are going to be 24 chapters in total. Again, I would like to thank SG-Kai and ScriptLord for their reviews and support. They have both been a huge help during the writing of this story. If you guys want you're names in lights then I suggest you review. As ScriptLord pointed out, I have a whole lotta hits for this story but not as many reviewers as I would have expected. So please, at the end of this chapter could you just do me a favour and review? All you have to do is hit that button right down there. Thanks a lot.

The following chapter is told through Ada Wong's point of view.

Chapter 12: Ada's Mission

As I walk through these corrupt tunnels I can't help but wonder if leaving Leon and the others behind was a good idea. Sure, it gives me some time to think and it makes it easier to sneak around, but still, there's something about them that makes me feel safe. Especially that fairy-boy. I don't know much about him but he seems to me like the kind of guy who would do anything for his friends. I can't allow those kind of feelings to get in the way of my job, my mission.

I need to find out who the murderers are behind this outbreak.

Even that soldier said he worked for Umbrella, but if that's true how come I've never met him before? Hmm... Maybe he's part of some recently formed unit specially made for this type of scenario. He was pretty stupid to bring down that civilian with all these monsters running around. I shouldn't let the stress get to me. I didn't even have time to relax after I got back from Europe.

After I gave Wesker the sample, he promised me some free time. Some time for me to catch up on all the leisure I was missing. And what do I find? I come back here to find the whole city crawling with zombies, monsters that I thought were destroyed way back in '98. Not only that, but there are strange people dressed in weird costumes running around the city claiming to find their 'friends.' Well, they're not my business anyway and I don't care what happens to them.

All that is important is my mission.

And that's what I plan to accomplish tonight.

I'm feeling awfully cold in these hallways, regardless of the torches lining the stone walls. Who put these down here anyway? I have a feeling all the answers I'm looking for, I'll find down here. The people who set up these tunnels are probably the ones responsible for what's going on up above. No matter. If there are monsters lurking in the shadows, I can simply blast them with my TMP. This thing sure has saved my ass hundreds of times before. I'm surprised I didn't lose it back on that island. Had it not been for Leon, I probably would be dead by now, but I guess that's okay. He owes me anyways for all the times I've saved him. Now, he claims to be looking for his girlfriend, Claire Redfield. Haven't seen her in a few years. I wonder how he knows she's out here in the city? Maybe there's more to him than it seems.

Wait, someone's coming. Better get low and against the wall. Oh, it's freezing. What's that whispering? It sounds so familiar. Whoever it's coming from is coming right this way.

Oh my God, it can't be!

The Los Illuminados?

They're still alive!

Oh shit, he saw me!

I don't need to cause a commotion with my weapon, I can take out one of these freaks with my bare hands. Take this! Backflip kick! Huff... His head flew clean off and the Plagas is coming out just as I remembered. Better take him out with my TMP. There, didn't need to waste that many shots though. I did not want him getting back up again. But I thought the Los Illuminados blew up on that island? Nope, he's the same as all the others, with those black robes. Hmm...

But why would they do this? Saddler is dead.

And how could they have brought back the T-Virus?

How did they even get they're hands on it?

I thought Umbrella had it all under captivity?

Something's not right.

They have infested everyone in the city with the virus, but I'm surprised they haven't used the Plagas for anything vile. Better keep moving. The sounds of screaming reaches out to me from behind the doors on my side. As much as I'd like to help these people, I can't. My capturing could put the whole operation in jeopardy. Not only that but I would have no escape from this city or the mass explosion that's going to take place in 7 hours.

Damn, we're running out of time. The more time I spend down here, the more nervous it makes me. I should have just stayed on the surface. Coming down here with all these robed freaks was suicide. The screams are still ringing in my ear. Sounds like the victims are being tortured. That is not my problem to deal with.

I really should have bought new heels, these ones are really doing damage to my feet. Make a mental note of that when I get out of here.

If the Los Illuminados are behind it all, then why am I still wandering around down here? I accomplished my task, now all I need to do is get out of here. But something draws me. I can't just leave Leon and the others down here by themselves. They may not know about the Los Illuminados yet. Actually, come to think of it, I don't even know what the Los Illuminados are planning with all these infestations. Hmm...

They're probably trying to achieve what their former leader couldn't, which was to overthrow the president of the United States. That wasn't going to work though. Ashley's safe and sound at home, so they must not be aiming for domination of the country. They could be trying to take over the world. Umbrella did claim that the T-Virus could create the ultimate bio-weapon. If they combined it with the Los Plagas-

That's it.

The Los Plagas and T-Virus are two completely different virus', but, if they managed to find a way to fuse them together, the ultimate soldier could be theirs to manipulate and control.

But could they fund the researchers for this?

Do they have scientists working down here?

What if their plan is nothing like this at all?

What if they're just planning revenge against the United Stated by infesting the entire country with zombies?

No, that can't be it. It would not explain the need for the T-Virus. It also doesn't explain why there are so many other monsters wandering on the surface.

Do the Los Illuminados even know that a missile is coming to destroy the city?

They probably don't know, otherwise why would they still continue to go through all this trouble?

So many questions that need to be answered. Ada, what did you get yourself into this time?

Damn that Wesker. He thinks he can just order me around like some dog. When I get out of here, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. I don't care if he bribed me with cash. Money doesn't mean anything if it means I'm dead. I really should have stayed with Leon. I don't have the man power to take on these guys on my own. How many of them are there down here anyway? I'm best to play it safe and hide in the shadows. Won't do me any good if I'm dressed in red. Gotta keep it low and silent. The hallway ends at a door here. It looks like all the others. Nothing special really. I don't hear anything coming from the other side. Maybe it's empty? Only one way to find out.

Man, this doorknob is cold.

The door's heavier than I thought.

I can barely push it open.

There we go.

This room is dark compared to the hallway. Various cells are lined on the sides. Large cells. Prison cells that are meant to hold people. But why would the Los Illuminados want to capture people?

"Hey! You there!" called a voice I never heard before. I turned to the sound. It was a middle aged man with a beard. His clothes were all bloody and torn and his arm barely managed to fit through the tight bars. Of course, he was in one of the near cells. "You must help me! They took my wife! They took her! You must save her before it's too late!" He was frantic. I was beginning to worry for this civilian.

"Did those men in black do this to you?" I asked, trying to keep him calm.

"Yes! And they took her! They went that way!" he replied as he pointed down to a door at the other end of the room.

"Do you know what they're going to do to her?" I asked again. He shook his head violently. Something was very wrong with this man, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"Please!" he cried as he grabbed my arm through the bars and pulled me close to the cell. I flinched at the touch of his icy hands and his face was all cut up and torn now that I was close to him. I couldn't stand the sight of him.

"Let go!" I yelled as I pulled away from his grip. He continued to hold his hand out of the cell.

"Please, save her." I felt where he grabbed me.

It was cold.

Very cold.

How long has this guy been down here?

"I'll....I'll see what I can do," I replied before walking down to the door.

"They'll kill her! Please hurry!" cried the man, but I did not look back at him. I couldn't. His wife could probably be dead by now for all I know. I need to know the reason why their keeping people down here. As I passed the other cells, more people started coming up to me and tried to grab me through the bars.

"Help me!" an old woman cried.

"They murdered my family!" said another.

"They took my son!"

"They'll kill us!"

"You have to save us!"

I avoided the hands of death as I made my way across the room. It was disturbing to see these decrepit people, people who once had lives, reduced to nothing but bleeding cries of help in this freezer. Suddenly, I heard a scream come from the door in front of me. I was a woman.

"That's my wife!" cried the man from behind. I immediately burst through the door and ended up back in another hallway. The screaming continued. What were they doing to her? I followed the strained voice through the maze. I felt sweat run down the tip of my nose.

Why was I so stressed out?

There's nothing that these freaks can do that I can't handle. Surely there isn't. Unless, they learned a few new tricks since last time we met...

I found the door which held the screaming. I wanted to kick open the door and burst in there guns blazing. But my training did not teach me to merely act on impulse. I grasped the doorknob loosely and slowly, quietly, opened the door. Lucky for me it did not creak. The screaming got louder as I poked my head into the room.

"Don't! Stop!" I heard the woman cry. What were they doing to her? I finally got a clear view of the scene. Up on a platform in the middle of the room, a middle aged woman sat strapped in a metal chair, screaming for her life. Around her, robed men in black were on their knees and chanting something familiar. A lone figure in red stood next to the struggling woman with a vial attached to a needle in his hand. Some kind of purple liquid was inside it. He held it high above his head.

"Brothers!" he called. "Tonight, as the full moon rises overhead, we create a new soldier!"

The chanting of the others continued.

"We now have power that even Lord Saddler could not obtain!"

More chanting.

"Tonight, we shall see the fruits of our struggles, and we shall finally put those Americans where they belong! In Hell!!"

The chanting got louder and faster as the man in red approached the screaming woman. I wanted to save her, but there was no way I would be able to take them all on by myself. But, this way I'll be able to see what they are trying to achieve.

"May the power of the T-Virus grant you strength! And may the power of the Plagas grant you loyalty!"

The chanting was so loud I could barely hear what he was saying.

"Now...Become...one of us!"

He brought the needle down on the woman's neck. She stopped screaming and her head dropped down. The chanting and the monks stopped and they looked at what they have done. I tried not to breathe, thinking that they would hear the sound the air leaving my lungs. What did they do to her? The man in red injected the virus and stepped away from the girl. He waited patiently on the side, waiting for the results of his ritual.

I flinched when I saw the woman open her eyes quickly. They were a blood red colour, proving that the virus was now inside her.

But what would it do?

Turn her into another mindless zombie?

Or maybe one of those crimson heads I've been hearing about?

My question was soon answered when she started spazzing out in her seat. She tossed and turned but the braces on her wrists and ankles held her down.

That's when I saw it.

Her skin started to peel off as the muscles in her body expanded and grew five times their normal size. Her hair was falling out and she screamed for dear life. God, it must have been painful. I felt the fear run up my spine when I saw her break free of one of her braces. Her arms and legs were now huge and she also seemed to be growing in height.

"Yes! Yes!" said the red man. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This creature I was seeing before my eyes probably had strength and intelligence to rival that of 5 tyrants. It's skin was a sickly grey colour as it transformed into a beast. What was it? The woman no longer looked like a woman at this point. She was a monster. Her clothes were torn off from all the muscle growth and she managed to break free of the seat. She stood 10 feet tall above everyone, no longer screaming, but breathing heavily. Her yellowed teeth could be seen between the peeling skin of her face.

"ORDERS...." it said. The red man jumped for joy and hopped around on the platform.

"Yes! Yes! We did it! Our mission can finally be completed! After all these years, we finally have the power to overthrow the United States!"

Wait, did he say 'after all these years?'

Does this mean the Los Illuminados were planning this from the very beginning?

That kidnapping the president's daughter and infecting her with the Plagas was just one half of the plan that just so happened to go wrong?

They're original plan was to merge the T-Virus and Los Plagas together to form one ultimate virus?

Ingenious it was. They must have been researching this even before they kidnapped Ashley and brought her to Europe. They had me going all over the map. Clever bastards. The man in red stopped dancing and confronted his new creation.

"No standing orders," he said, "patrol the tunnels to make sure no one else is down here. Report back here in 1 hour. You're siblings will be waiting for you. Be gone my pet. You have been blessed with the honour of being the first Hybrid Tyrant ever created."

Siblings?

Hybrid Tyrant?

They were going to make more of these things?

Shit! There's no way the U.S. military could stand against these things. Not if there was an army of them! Jeez, look at the size of it. Oh no! It's coming this way! I pulled my head out and shut the door as quickly and quietly as I could. I sighed in relief, but realized that the creature was still coming towards the door. I felt sorry for the husband of that woman. He'll never believe what I'm about to tell him.

I turned around to make my way back to the prison room but couldn't move as I felt someone's cold white hands around my neck.


	13. Attempts at Rescue

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** Please feel free to tell me what you thought about this chapter.

Chapter 13: Attempts at Rescue

"What is this place?"

Link couldn't move from what he was witnessing. Leon coughed to the side at the sight of the mass of crimson. Blood covered nearly every inch of the orange walls in the room. Various types of torture devices lay scattered about the area. Todd got on his knees and started puking. Van cursed at the stench worse than one hundred zombies. A few cracked lights lined the ceiling and illuminated the room. Bodies, both old and young, lay dead on the ground, blood still oozing out from the wounds. A metal cage with spikes was hanging from the ceiling, a skeleton lying inside, spears puncturing the bones from every angle.

"Oh God... kill me now..." said Todd as he continued puking. He couldn't control himself. Van wiped his nose with his hand and turned around.

"There is no other door in this room. Let's go back," he said seriously.

Link nodded and opened the door they came through. Leon helped Todd up and they went back out into the hallway. This was the fourth door they've tried since they've been down here. And still, they could not find a way to get deeper into the labyrinth. Two of the rooms they entered previously were small prison blocks, but unfortunately, the prisoners could not tell them about anything because they were too horribly mutated to speak. Someone was conducting experiments down here. This made Leon worry about Claire even more. Leon closed the door behind him before turning to the rest of his group.

"Another dead end. We're getting no where," he said plainly. Link shuffled his feet nervously. He noticed the large bloodstain across his own chest.

"_I need a shower after this_," he thought.

"What sick monsters could have done those things to those people?" asked Van. Todd sat on the ground and put his head down.

"I don't know. It has to be whoever is responsible for the catastrophe up there," Leon responded. Link turned to a door at the end of the hallway.

"This is the last door we haven't tried. It has to lead somewhere," he said. Todd couldn't take it anymore. He got up and grabbed Van by the collar.

"You HAVE to get me out of here!" he cried. The man was no where near as strong as the soldier, so Van easily got out of his grip. He shoved Todd away from him which made Todd stumble back and fall on the ground again.

"I'm... sorry. I should never have brought you down here. I had no idea it was just as bad in the sewers than it was on the surface," Van replied. Link turned away from the door.

"_Would we be even going to right way?_" he thought. "_Are Samus and Ness even down here? What about Claire? She could be dead for all we know. But Leon, he says that she's here somewhere. How can he be so sure?_" Todd got up and stood in the centre of the hallway.

"Van, what were you thinking? You actually trust these guys?" he asked as he waved his hand towards Link and Leon. "They claim to be looking for their friends, but for all we know, they could be one of those monsters! They could be leading us to our deaths!" Van looked puzzled.

"_There's no way they could be zombies in disguise, could they?_" thought Van. "_No, that can't be. I looked into Leon's eyes myself. They did not look as possessed as the monsters out there. But still, we've only known each other for less than an hour. Can they still be trusted?_" Leon went over to Todd.

"What gives you the right to point fingers at us? Had it not been for us, you would have been eaten by that crocodile!" he said. Todd was not amused.

"Had it not been for you, I wouldn't be down here in the first place! How do you even know you're 'friends' are down here? You have no way to communicate with them!" Todd replied. Link had to admit, Todd did have a point. Leon's eyebrow twitched.

"I can!" said Leon loudly.

"Oh yeah? How? I don't see a radio on you anywhere." Leon backed off.

"I know she's down here. I... I don't know how to describe it. It's just this feeling I have. I can tell if Claire is in trouble or not. You have to trust me."

"I don't trust you at all. I think you're absolutely insane. There is no way you can tell if Claire is even down here."

"I told you I know she's down here!"

"You're wasting you're time! We could have been out of the city by now!" This sentence reminded Link of someone he met earlier this night, but he couldn't remember who it was.

"I know what Leon's talking about," said Link. The others turned to him.

"What?" asked Todd.

"I understand him completely. I don't know how to describe it either, but I know for a fact, that if someone you care deeply about is in trouble, no matter how far away they are, you can tell. It's just a feeling you get. That's how I know Samus is okay. That's why I know I have to save her. And if you persist in halting this rescue, I'm going to have to leave. I've already been screwed over once this night. I don't plan on letting it happen again." Link opened the door and went into the next room. Todd was speechless. Leon looked at him.

"You believe me now?" he said before following Link. Van put a hand on Todd's shoulder.

"It's okay, you're just stressed," he said comfortingly.

"No," replied Todd quietly. Van looked surprised. "He's right... I... I know what he means." Van helped Todd to the door.

"You know?"

"Yeah. The way he said it to me. I know how he feels. Now that I've calmed my mind. And now that I've opened my heart. I see what he means. I believe my family is safe. They're out there somewhere. And I promise to join them." Van smiled as they walked through the door. It lead to another hallway with a bunch of side paths. Link and Leon were up ahead.

"Thanks for that. I was about to knock his lights out," said Leon.

"Oh, no problem. I mean, I feel you're pain. Tell me... you care a lot about this Claire person don't you?" Leon felt kind of embarrassed but figured that he could trust Link.

"I do. I would do anything for her. Which is why I can sense her presence in these tunnels." Link put an arm around Leon.

"Good. In that case, Leon, I promise to help you find her." Leon looked surprised.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yeah. It's the least I could do. After all, you saved my life."

"Try not to remind me of that." They both laughed as they walked, as if they were old friends. Van could hardly believe how relaxed they looked. It wasn't until he saw them stop in front of a large portrait that he caught up to them. Todd and Van went up to the portrait they were looking at and examined it.

"What's going on here?" asked Van. Link stared at it, but he couldn't make anything from the man in the picture.

"Leon, do you know this guy?" he asked. Leon just stared, his eyes wide. The man in the picture just stared back at him with the same horrible smirk he gave Leon when they first met. The man had a purple hood draped over his head, but his facial features could be seen as clear as day.

"Saddler..."

"What was that?" asked Link. Leon continued to stare.

"Saddler... it's him," Leon responded. Link raised an eyebrow.

"Saddler?" Obviously, Leon had never told Link about his adventures through Spain.

"Why is his picture down here?" Van and Todd gave similar confused looks.

"I really don't see the big deal here," said Van. Leon stepped back from the portrait and shut his eyes. Images of hatchet wielding villagers blew over his mind. He saw a chainsaw and the merchant. He saw Ada and Ashley. He saw the virus, evolving from an infant, to an adult. Lastly, he saw two police officers. One being burned at the stake, and one being eaten by a sea monster. Saddler's voice rung through his head.

"_You can't resist_..." he was saying. Leon opened his eyes and fired a round from his handgun. Link, Van and Todd all jumped back.

"Whoa, Leon! What's wrong?!" Link cried. Leon slouched, a smoking pistol dangling from his fingers. He looked up to see a bullet hole through the forehead of Saddler's portrait. The laughter ceased. Leon was breathing heavily.

"I saw him. The virus. The Illuminados. It all makes sense... except..." Link helped Leon to stand straight.

"Leon, what happened?" Leon heard Claire's voice screaming in his head. She was in trouble. There was no time. Leon broke free of the Hylian and dashed down the hallway. The other three froze.

"Where's he going?" asked Todd.

Leon could barely keep his eyes open. People and places flashed before his eyes. The city, the R.P.D, the merchant with a paper bag on his head, Claire...

Leon ran through the maze, turning left and right when he was given the chance. Claire's voice was getting louder. "_She's here!_" he thought. Saddler's voice came back to haunt him.

"_You won't save her. It's too late Mr. Kennedy. My men have taken her. She is no longer the woman you knew. She is gone. And soon, we will come for you_."

"Go away!" cried Leon as he turned another corner.

"_She is ours. She is one with the Plagas_."

"No!"

"_Yes she is. She has forgotten about you. She is no longer the Claire Redfield you knew. Give up_."

"I can't! She needs me!"

"_Then may this be you're downfall as you wander the tunnels of Raccoon City for all eternity!_" Her voice was close now. The door up ahead was the only barrier between him and her.

"Claire!!!" he cried before ramming the door open and drawing out his handgun. Claire was sitting in a chair in the centre of the room. She was tied down, but her mouth was free. The entire room was empty except for her and the chair.

"Leon!" she said.

"Claire!" Leon holstered his gun before running to her.

"Leon no! It's a trap!" Leon saw something shine through the corner of his eye. He immediately ducked just before a round blade came out of the wall and sliced a thin piece of hair off his head. He stood tall and saw another glare of light, this time one coming from the floor. Leon did a backflip and landed on the large sideways blade from before, just before the blade came out of the ground. Had he moved a second too late, his entire body would have been cut in half vertically. The blade he was standing on was rotating slowly. Leon jumped over the second blade and landed in front of Claire. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. He undid the rope that held her down and they both hugged each other.

"How did you know where to find me?" she asked.

"Heh, a little birdie told me. But there's no time to talk. We gotta go."

"Yeah," she nodded. Both of the blades retracted into the wall and floor. The door behind the two survivors suddenly opened. They both froze. A man in a blue robe walked into the room followed by 10 men in black who wielded cross bows. They all took positions around the room and pointed their weapons at the survivors. The man in blue confronted Leon and Claire.

"Leon Scott Kennedy. Good to see you. I'm surprised you managed to avoid the little traps we set up," said the man. Leon looked at the man confused.

"_I've never seen him before_," thought Leon, "_but I know these guys in black_." Claire, who was unarmed, got close to Leon. He did not take his eyes off his enemy.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked. The man in blue laughed.

"I'm surprised Lord Saddler never told you about me. I was always one of his most loyal friends." His voice was deep and had a rasp. His face resembled that of a sick old man. Of course, he was infected.

"What?"

"I am Drazn Orlow. The leader of the Los Illuminados."

"I thought you guys were dead. I killed Saddler along with what remained of the virus."

"True, you managed to destroy our former lord and you managed to destroy our island. But, you failed to eliminate the Illuminados from Spain, or do you forget you're little visit through our ancient castle?" Leon remembered the castle quite well. Claire was confused, but she didn't say anything. She was watching the men in black on the side, who were waiting for orders.

"Orlow, how did you get you're hands on the T-Virus?"

"Oh ho! Leon, wouldn't you like to know? I'll give you a hint. It has something to do with Umbrella."

"Umbrella!?" It hit Leon like a rock. Ada had lied to him. Umbrella was behind it the whole time. But were they siding with the Los Illuminados? He needed more info. "Hmm... Did they give it to you?"

"Nice try. I'm not giving you anymore information. Our main goal is to overthrow the United States, something that Lord Saddler had failed to accomplish years ago. But our secondary mission... is to eliminate you." The men in black clicked off the safety of their weapons and took aim at the Americans.

"I see. You want revenge on what I did to you're leader," said Leon as he kept his gun aimed on Orlow. "But why her?" he asked as he put an arm around Claire. Orlow did not seem surprised at all.

"What better way than to lure you down here?" Leon cursed. So, Claire's kidnapping was all a set-up. He should have known.

"Brace yourself," whispered Leon to Claire, "you're gonna have to trust me." Claire nodded and held onto Leon's shoulder.

"Good-bye, Leon Scott Kennedy," said Orlow as he waved a hand. The men in black fired their weapons.

"Now!" said Leon. He and Claire both ducked down as 10 arrows zoomed past their heads in different directions. The arrows collided with the stone walls and fell to the ground. The men in black realized they had all missed and started reloading their weapons. Leon took the opportunity.

He let go of Claire and shot one of the men in the head. He then ran over and kicked him. The man flew high in the air and hit the wall hard. Leon heard several clicking sounds and heard the men pointing their weapons at him. He fired the cross bows out of their hands one by one and reloaded his weapon. Having no weapon, the 9 remaining enemies decided to charge at Leon with arms out stretched. This was what Leon was hoping for.

"Claire catch!" he said as he tossed Claire his handgun. Luckily, she was a trained marksman like her brother and managed to pick off two of the men with a few shots. Leon drew out his knife and threw it into the throat of an approaching enemy. The man in black tried to speak but couldn't as he fell to the ground, dead. Claire killed two more in a matter of a few seconds. Leon drew out his rifle and blew the heads off 3, without wasting a single bullet. He didn't notice one come up behind him.

"Leon look out!" Leon turned around only to see an arrow drive through the face of the man.

"What?!" The man fell down at his feet. Leon looked at the room entrance. Link was standing there, a fairy bow in his hands.

"Whew, thanks Link," said Leon as he picked up his knife and went over to his friend. Link holstered his weapon as Claire came over.

"You really had me worried, Leon. You just ran off and it took us awhile to find you," said Link. Leon holstered his gun and put a hand on the back of his head.

"Yeah sorry about that." Leon turned around to look for Orlow. Men in black lay scattered around the bloody room. A single chair stood in the centre under an open lightbulb. But the man in blue had disappeared. "Did you see a guy in a blue robe out there?" he asked.

"No, the hallways were empty. We haven't run into anyone. You seemed to have run into trouble yourself." Leon looked embarrassed but shook it off.

"I found Claire. She was being held captive by these men." Link looked at the young woman next to Leon. She wore a red t-shirt and jeans, which were torn at the knees. Her face was not very bruised or beaten. How long was she down here exactly? Her brown hair was also a mess. Link offered a hand to her.

"Hi Claire, I'm Link." Claire received his hand in hers and shook.

"Pleasure. Can we get out of here please? I don't want to stand in this room any longer than I have to." Leon nodded.

"Yeah, I'll introduce you to the others. After that we need to talk. All of us. Link, I'm not sure about it, but I have a feeling I know how this whole thing started." The three of them walked out of the room into the hallway, and went over to Van and Todd.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Samus opened the door to the prison. Ike saw her and Ness come in and got up off the ground.

"Hurry! Get us out before more guards come!" he said. Samus went over to Ike's cell and unlocked it with the silver key. Ike stepped out into the room. "Thanks, let's free the others." Samus nodded and went to Snake's cell. He was lying on the ground with his eyes closed. This made Samus worry.

"Snake? Are you okay?" Snake did not answer. "Snake!" He did not move at all. "Ike! Ness! Come over here!" Ness and Ike stood in front of Snake's cell next to Samus. "Something's wrong with him. He won't get up," she said. Ness looked worried. Ike couldn't believe what he was seeing. Snake was one of the strongest guys he knew. There was no way a small thing like prison time could have killed him.

"Snake! Get up!" he said. Snake opened his eyes and stood up.

"Sorry about that. You guys took so long I began to doze off. Did you get the key?" Samus sighed with relief. She should have known better than to freak out about something like that.

"Yeah, got it right here," she said as she waved the key in front of Snake's face.

"Well don't just stand there! Let me out!" he wailed. Samus attempted to unlock the cell, but somehow, the key refused to turn.

"What?" She tried again, but the key would not open the door. "The key's not working," she said.

"Hold on, let me see that," said Ike. He examined the teeth on the key and the lock on Snake's cell. "This key won't work for this door," he said planly.

"What?" asked Snake.

"It won't work. This key was specially designed for the cell over there, the one that I was in. I'm sure if you tried this on Lucario's cell, it wouldn't open as well," Ike replied. Samus sighed. This means they'll have to go look for the other two keys. "Samus, where did you find this key?" asked Ike.

"We took it off of one of those men in a red robe," she replied.

"We're going to have to go look for more of them then. Otherwise, there's no way we'll be able to save you," said Ike as he tossed the key across the room. Lucario was still resting peacefully in his cell. "I can't fight to my full potential without my sword though. We have to go find where they stashed it." Ness nodded. Maybe if they could find Ike's sword, they could find Ness' backpack in the same room. Maybe...

Snake leaned back against the wall. "Okay, if you guys are going to go, better go now. We can't be wasting anymore time," he said. Ike and Samus nodded and went out the door again. Ness noticed them leave and followed respectively. Snake looked back over to Lucario.

"They'll be back."

Samus recorded the map data of the tunnels they explored into her suit. She knew all the paths they've already been down so she did her best to avoid them. She lead the way followed by Ike and Ness. They came across a lone man in black in one of the hallways, but Samus quickly disposed of him with a blast of her cannon.

"_Dammit, how many of these guys are there?_" she thought before walking past the bloodstained wall. Time was running out. Not only did they have to find the keys, but they had to find Zelda and Ike's sword. They stopped at the first door they came across. Samus busted it down with a hard kick and the three smashers jumped into the room. There was no one in the room. Samus lowered her guard. They wouldn't be fighting any robed men in here. A narrow hallway stood in front of them. At the end was a table that had various types of weapons on them, ranging from daggers and swords to handguns and bazookas. Were they in an armory? Ike was about to turn around when he noticed his sword on top of the pile on the table.

"Ragnell!" he said. Ike made a dash into the hallway to go retrieved his sword. Samus grabbed his cape and pulled him back. "Hey! What are you doing?!" he said. Samus pulled him away from the thin hall.

"Doesn't this seem suspicious to you? I mean look over there. A narrow hall leading to a table with all our weapons and gadgets. Wouldn't it have been easier to get to if there was no hallway to begin with?" Ike did not seem to understand.

"What's you're point?" he asked. Samus picked up a rock on the floor and chucked it into the centre of the hallway. Two large spinning blades came out of the wall and cut the small stone in half while it was in mid air. The blades retracted as the two pieces of stone fell on the red ground. Ike stood there with his mouth open, not believing what he just saw. Samus looked at the ground in the hallway and noticed blood was spread all over.

"That explains that," she said. Ness stepped forward.

"So how do we get our stuff?" he asked. Samus answered by turning into her morph ball and rolling into the hallway. The two blades sprung out again, but she rolled under them, avoiding any damage to her suit or body. The blades retracted as she made it to the other side and turned back into her original form.

"I'll get you're sword. You guys wait there," she said. Ike and Ness waited patiently. Samus reached for Ike's Ragnell. She had no idea how heavy the two handed sword was and pulled it off the table. The blade hit the ground with a "clank" as she held onto the hilt. She tried to use her arm cannon to help raise it up. How the hell was she going to get this thing over to them? There was no way she could carry the heavy weapon and she dropped the entire thing on the ground.

"Hey, be careful over there!" called Ike.

"Ike, why is you're sword so freakin' heavy?!" she replied. She's seen Ike use his sword in battle before. He handles it gracefully in one hand. She could barely carry this thing with two. "Shit, he must be strong..." she thought. She tried to slide the sword across the stone ground into the hallway. She got low and attempted to crawl under the spinning blades while pushing the sword along. She nearly got it over to Ike who was on the ground, trying not to get his head cut off. He managed to grabbed the end of the blade and pull it in towards him. He got out of the hallway and lifted his sword up high.

"Yes! I got it!" he said. Samus crawled back to the table to see if there was anything else. She found her rockets which she loaded back into her suit. She only had 10 left. Oh well, it was better than nothing. Samus noticed Ness' backpack on the corner of the table and picked it up.

"Hey Ness! Catch!" she said as she tossed the backpack over the blades and to the boy. Ness caught it and checked it's contents. Everything was where he left it.

"Thanks!"

Samus examined the table one last time. She felt like taking a gun or two, but she was afraid of being too encumbered by the extra weight. She decided to leave it and she rolled back to the survivors.

"There, everyone happy?" she asked. Ike and Ness nodded. She went over to the door and opened it. The hallway was just as empty as it was when they got here. Perfect. Ike swung his sword around in the open area to get a feel for it. Ness put his backpack on his back and pulled out his bat. Samus looked down the hallway to a single door which stood on it's own at the end. "Haven't been there yet." They made there way to the door. Ike put an ear to the door.

"I hear whispering sounds," he said.

"Perfect," replied Samus, "then we know where we have to go. You guys ready?" Ike tapped the end of his sword on the ground and Ness kicked the end of his bat with his foot. Samus smiled beneath her visor. "Okay, then let's show these guys we mean business."

Samus kicked the door open and the three sprung into the room with the high ceiling. A man in red stood on a platform with stairs leading up to it. He was chanting something that none of the smashers understood.

"This is going to be easier than I thought," said Ike as he ran to the stairs to take the man's key. Samus and Ness waited at the bottom. Ike ran up to the man and stood behind him. "Give us the key and we may spare your life," he said. The man's hood was down and he had red tattoos all over his bald head. He slowly turned to the swordsman as he finished chanting.

"Heh heh. Oh really now?" he answered. Ike felt a rumbling sound beneath his feet.

"What?" A large hand sprung out of the ground and grabbed Ike's body.

"Ike!" cried Samus who was witnessing the whole thing. The hand tossed Ike off the platform, but luckily he landed on his feet and recovered.

"What is that thing?" he asked. The man in red ran off the platform as it exploded. Rock and metal started raining down in the room but the three smashers dodged it easily. A giant creature that stood 50 feet tall was now standing where the platform used to be. It was a dirty grey colour and had chains wrapped around it's wrists and and neck. It roared loudly as Ike backed away form it.

"Now El Gigantes! Destroy these intruders!" commanded the man in red. The giant charged at Ike at incredible speed. Ike barely dodged out of the way as the beast slammed into the wall. More stones started falling from the ceiling. Samus looked at the red man who was making a run for it through the door, a key dangling from his robe.

"Ness, get the key! Ike and I will handle this!" she said as she charged her beam. Ness nodded and ran over to the escaping man. The Gigantes stomped around and tried to flatten Ike who dodged left and right. He cursed as he nearly got hit by a falling piece of sharp metal.

"Ike! Heads up!" called Samus as she fired a fully charged beam at the face of the creature. It was a direct hit as the monster stumbled back a few steps from the force of the blast. It backed up into the wall and fell forward onto the ground. Ike took the opportunity and jumped on the creature's back and started slicing his sword into it. Blood was flying everywhere and he was having trouble seeing through all the crimson. The beast quickly stood up and cried in pain as the small sword cut at the thick skin. Ike nearly fell off but he grabbed onto the chain dangling from the giant's neck and was being swung around as the monster tried to get him off. He was having trouble holding on with one hand.

"Whoa! Hold on!" he cried. Samus loaded a rocket and fired, this time striking the creature in the leg. The monster got down on one knee in pain. Ike swung onto the monsters back and noticed a parasite insect sprouting from the monster's spine. "What the hell is that?" Ike did a powerful swing with his sword and cut the parasite off the giant's back. The bug screamed as it fell off the Gigantes and hit the floor. The giant roared as it fell forward. Samus jumped out of the way from the falling mass of weight. Ike jumped off the monster and was breathing heavily. "Man, that thing was tough," he said. Ness came over to them.

"I got it!" he said as he waved a silver key in front of Samus' face. Ike looked over at a burning man on the ground by the exit.

"Good job, Ness," he said. "What was that thing?" Samus looked at the dead parasite on the ground.

"A monster created by the virus no doubt. There's probably more of them down here. We better keep our guard up. But first thing's first, let's free Snake and Lucario. Then we can focus on saving Zelda." Ike and Ness nodded as they went over to the door. They passed the flaming man on the ground and went out into the hallway. Lucky for them, Samus had the location of the prison on her map. The three of them ran down the empty halls and back to the prison. Snake was standing by his cell door with his hands on the bars.

"You guys came a little bit late!" he said as they went over to him. Ike and Ness looked confused.

"What?" asked Ike. Ness unlocked Snake's cell and he came out into the room.

"Lucario's gone!" he said.

"What?!" replied Samus. She turned around to look at his cell, but sure enough, the door was open and Lucario was missing.

"Where is he?" asked Ike.

"They took him through that door!" said Snake as he pointed to a door no of them ever went through.

"Why didn't you stop them?!"

"Uh, because I was locked in a cell! Hello!"

"Damn, this is not good. We're already running out of time as it is," cursed Samus.

"Look, let's just find him so we can get the hell out of here," said Snake as he went to the door. Ike stepped in front of him.

"We can't leave without Zelda," he said. Snake was not at all intimidated by Ike's bulky muscles.

"We need to find Lucario first! They may not have gotten far with him!" he responded as he shoved past the swordsman and into the hallway. Ike looked at Samus and Ness for support, but they followed Snake out the door.

Ike stood by himself in the prison; the cold, damp walls biting at his warm flesh. "_What do I do now?_" he thought. He looked the blade of his sword. His reflection looked back at him blankly. His face was all dirty from lying around in that cell. "What do you think?" he asked his reflection. The reflection made no response and continued to stare back at him. "That's what I thought." He paused for a few seconds before turning around and leaving through the door on the other end.


	14. Truth

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** Thanks to my fourth and fifth newest reviewers, Grim Tales and Clear Blue. Finally my story is reaching out to other people! Don't you worry Clear Blue, Ike and Zelda will be making an appearance in this chapter, as well as almost all the other chapters after this. Thanks to my two main reviewers SG-Kai and ScriptLord for keeping up with me in all this chaos. On a side note, I don't want there to be too much romance in this story, I mean, come on, whoever heard of a romance with zombies in it, seriously? If you guys want romance, then you'll have to wait for the sequel (hint hint) to this story, but I'm keeping that a secret for now. If you guys want to get a sneak peek at the sequel, visit my profile and find out!

Chapter 14: Truth

Van leaned against the wall impatiently. He reached for his knife, but only felt cold leather on his leg. "_Whoops, I forgot, I dropped it up there_," he thought. He closed his eyes. "_Damn, where are they? Were they attacked by more of those monsters?_" Van breathed deeply as he reached for his radio. He had forgotten that he had it on him. He pulled out the little antenna and put his mouth to the speaker.

"This is Private Valchev of the Umbrella Retrieval Unit. Is there anyone out there? Over." Nothing but static replied to his question. Todd stirred to the side nervously. "This is Private Valchev, is there anyone there? Over," Van repeated. Still no answer. Todd sat on the cold floor in the hallway. Why weren't the torches warm anymore? The flames stared down at him from their post, but the heat refused to penetrate his body. "If there's anyone out there, please just give me a sign." The static laughed at Van's feeble attempts for rescue. Van cursed as he put away the radio.

"Don't expect any backup anytime soon," he said to Todd. Todd kept his head down and stared at the ground.

"That's a load of shit," he replied.

"Hm?"

"I mean how, you know, you and your men are supposed to be the 'great heroes' to come and save us. Yet now, you can't even make contact with your squad. They've all been eaten by those zombies. It's ironic if you think about it." Van's eyebrow twitched as he looked at this man in the eye. How dare he mock Umbrella? How dare he mock his friends? He had no right in Hell, and yet, his words seemed to bite at Van like a thousand mosquitoes.

"I've been patient with you long enough," said Van. Todd looked surprised.

"What?" Van grabbed Todd's collar and pulled him off the ground and lifted him above his head against the wall.

"I've had to put up with your shit ever since I saved your ass! You haven't done a single God damned thing since you've been down here! I suggest you treat your 'heroes' with respect, otherwise, I just might feed you to those zombies myself!" Todd looked scared.

"Y-You wouldn't do that! I mean, you're not allowed!" Van pushed him harder against the wall. The sharp brick was now piercing at Todd's back.

"You wanna bet? I could kill you right now if I wanted!" Todd looked into the blue eyes.

"Van..." he said, "what's wrong with you?" Van's eyes got wide as he realized what he did. He slowly put Todd back on his feet and he backed away.

"Todd, I... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Todd adjusted his collar and stood straight.

"It's okay. You're right. I should never have insulted your troops like that. I'm sorry too." Van nodded at Todd as Leon, Link and Claire came around the corner. Van's eyes immediately shot to the young lady's upper body as she ran towards him.

"Well, hello there," he said carelessly.

"I found Claire," said Leon plainly. Van eyed her from head to toe three times.

"No kidding." Van offered his hand to Claire. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Van Valchev." Todd noticed that Van didn't introduce himself as formally as he did to him and the others. Claire shook hands with him nervously.

"Um, nice to meet you too." Todd stepped up to her.

"My name is-"

"Oh, that's Todd," interrupted Van. Van shot him a glare and he backed away.

"These are the other survivors I was telling you about," said Leon. Claire nodded as she brought her hand back to her body.

"Yeah figures." She looked at the insignia on Van's left shoulder.

"Do you... work for Umbrella?" she asked. Van was surprised she knew about Umbrella but he didn't show it.

"Sure do. I was sent down here to save the survivors. But unfortunately, I got stuck in a hole and, well, here I am." Leon handed Claire his handgun.

"You hold on to this. You'll need it more than I will." Claire accepted it graciously.

"Thanks." Link stepped in to the centre of the group.

"So, now that we're all here, what's the next plan?" he asked. Todd decided to back off from the conversation. It was better to let the professionals handle their next escape route.

"We should get out of here while we still can," suggested Van.

"Wait wait, we can't do that. Link still has to find Samus," Leon replied. Link nodded his head. Van thought for a moment. He wanted to help Link find his friends, but escape seemed like the smartest idea right now, considering this whole place was going to be blown sky high in a few hours. Van still wanted his revenge on the slime balls who murdered his squad...

"I'll help you, Link," said Claire. Link smiled at her. It was good to know he could trust her. Leon put his hand on Link's shoulder.

"I'm with you too," he said. Link felt a little embarrassed he was getting so much attention, but there was a feeling in his heart that kept him from letting out his tears. These people, for whom he only met tonight. Who were they? Van bit his lip and gave Link a thumbs up.

"Aw, might as well since I'm down here. Besides, I have a score to settle with those freaks." Link was starting to see who these people were, for the first time this night. They weren't soldiers. They weren't government spies or selfish fools. Todd remained on the outside of the group. Leon gave him a glare and Todd rejoined the group.

"If you can trust me... I'll be willing to help anyway I can." Link couldn't believe how much these people cared. But who were they? Link searched to bottom of his heart for the right answer. They weren't strangers to him anymore. They were his friends. The answer struck him like a bullet. Friends. Was that really all they were? People who would help him no matter what the situation. These were his friends. And he accepted it like anyone would accept a hug. He put his gloved hand on Leon's on his shoulder.

"You guys..."

"We're here for you, Link," said Leon. "You've already helped me out loads of times. I feel I should return the favour." He looked into the Hylian's eyes and noticed a small tear forming. Van stepped in.

"Alright, break it up! No need to get mushy! We're already wasting time!" Everyone snapped out of the mood and returned to reality. Leon was immediately reminded of what he wanted to ask Claire when he found her.

"Claire, how did you end up down here anyway?" he asked. Claire looked a bit uncomfortable, but she answered it as best she could.

"I... I was... kidnapped. I was kidnapped by those men in the black robes." She paused and thought hard, it looked as if she was solving a hard physics problem. "I can't remember much. But, I remember those men in red... the one in blue... the empty room with the chair... the needle..." She immediately looked at Leon who looked back at her in shock. "I think they injected me with something," she said. Leon cursed.

This was not good. They probably injected her with the Plagas. And if the virus worked anything like it did on the island, Orlow would have complete control over Claire's body. How many hours did she have before the mutation completely took over her body? Leon tried not to think about it.

"We need to find a cure," he replied. "You could turn into one of those freaks if we don't do something quick."

"Then what are we standing here for? We should go!" said Van, who Leon forgot was standing next to him.

"He's right, but time is short as it is. What exactly is the virus going to do to her?" asked Link. Leon was hesitant to reply. He forgot the Los Illuminados now had both virus' under their control. Could they have injected Claire with both?

"I don't know what the virus will do to her," he replied plainly. "If they injected her with both, anything could go wrong. What gets me the most is how they got their hands on the virus in the first place..." Link raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"The Los Illuminados never had control of the T-Virus. They developed the Los Plagas, a virus with not as much power, but was just as deadly as the original T. Years ago, after the mansion incident in Arklay, and after the destruction of Raccoon City in 1998, Umbrella was supposedly finished after the rumors that had been spread about the virus. They used the media to cover it all up and eventually, all traces of the virus were lost or destroyed. People never suspected such a tragedy to occur from a simple virus. They used cover-ups such as nuclear power plant explosions or natural disasters to explain the chaos. When I was back on that island, I suspected Umbrella to be behind the infected people from the very beginning. It wasn't until I noticed that these people were not zombies, but possessed. Driven by the urge to kill and the Plagas. I discovered that Umbrella did have something to do with the Plagas, but it all didn't make sense. That man in blue, Orlow, from earlier, told me how he had obtained the virus from Umbrella. They most likely plan to fuse the two virus' together to create the ultimate bio-weapon. I've been contemplating ever since he told me this. Could this have been the Los Illuminados' plan from the very beginning? Umbrella would never agree with them. There's no way Umbrella just flat out handed them the T-Virus. Putting all the pieces together, I came to one final conclusion."

"Which is?..."

"Everything I've fought for these past few months. Everything I've strived to obtain and save. It was all a set-up by the Illuminados. The kidnapping of the president's daughter, the enslaving of the Spanish villagers, the stealing of the T-Virus, Umbrella's dispatching of the soldiers, even the frickin' government missile. They planned this from the very beginning."

"What?"

"They're going to destroy the United States with the virus' power!" Claire gasped. Link still wasn't getting the idea.

"I don't understand. Why would Umbrella send in soldiers to save the citizens if the Los Illuminados has the virus all along? Wouldn't they try to take it back from them?"

"They would have done that if they had the chance, but now it's too late. With the missile already on it's way it'll only be matter of time. They probably wanted to save anyone before the rumor breaks out again."

"No," said Van. Everyone looked at him. He was staring at the ground.

"No?" repeated Leon. Van looked up at everyone.

"That's not why we were sent here," he admitted. Todd looked confused.

"What!? You told me you came here to rescue civilians!" he cried. Van gave Todd a glare.

"That was our original intention. I may not have told you this, but my squad was dispatched to this city earlier today."

"You told me something like that, I think."

"We were sent here to find and eliminate the source of the virus!" he blurted. A look of shock and terror took over Todd's face.

"You lied to me! You would have left me to die if you had the chance!"

"No I wouldn't! We were told to rescue as many citizens we could during our mission! But now... they're all dead. Not one of them is alive. All my partners. My friends. Those monsters murdered them! And I want payback!"

"Wait, hold on. Are you telling us you knew about both virus' all along?" asked Leon. Van hesitated before replying.

"Yes. I knew. It was my job to destroy it! My job to kill it! That's why I brought you down here Todd! I couldn't just walk away considering I was so close! So close to completing my mission! Had that chopper found us like it should have, you would have left the city by yourself. I would have remained down here to complete my task. My mission."

"But Van, your squad-"

"They're dead! I know! I know the odds are against me now! But I can't go home knowing that I let a hundred soldiers die without a cause! If I accomplish my mission, not only will I be rewarded, but I will be praised and satisfied with the fact. The fact that I gave my comrades the only thing they'll ever have. And that is their pride as a soldier! That is why I fight, Leon! That is why I'm here! And I'm ready to accept my fate!" Link was surprised to hear this speech come from Van.

"_The poor guy must be breaking down under all the stress_," thought Link. Leon and Todd were both speechless. Claire walked up to Van and put a hand on his soldier.

"I'm so sorry to hear of your friends' deaths. But we can't mourn about our losses now. If you guys say that a missile is on it's way, then we should stop wasting time. We need to find the remaining survivors and get out of here," she said. Van tried to smile at her but he couldn't. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Thank you Claire," replied Van. Suddenly, a man in black turned the corner and noticed the group.

"Mat-eh-Oh!" he shouted as he pointed at them. More men started filing around the corner and running at the survivors. Link unsheathed his sword and shield, the light of the torches reflecting off of it and hitting the ceiling. He turned to his enemies and looked back at his friends.

"Well what are we standing here for? We have some survivors to rescue!" Link charged towards the approaching mob. Leon nodded at Claire and he drew out his knife and followed Link. Claire looked at Van one last time before turning around and drawing her handgun. Van watched the survivors charge at the hooded figures. He smirked.

"Are you watching me... father?"

Van roared as he drew out his SMG and charged into battle. Todd remained behind and watched his friends as they risked their lives. What drove them exactly? Was it their will to survive? Was it because they cared about the people they loved? Was it just for fun? Todd thought about this in silence as Link brought his sword down on the head of the first monk.

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Ike wandered the endless halls for what seemed like eternity. He had already run into and killed 6 men in black robes since he left the prison. He could sense Zelda's presence somewhere down here. The blood on his sword dripped on the ground as he walked along.

"_Maybe leaving Samus and Ness wasn't such a good idea?_" he thought to himself. "_No! i have to stop thinking about them! I can worry about them when I save Zelda! Darnit! If only we weren't so spread apart_." Earlier, he tried to interrogate the monks by telling him where the princess was, but unfortunately, none of them knew how to speak English so he had no choice but to kill him. "_That man in red spoke to me. Maybe the monks in the red robes can speak English?_" Ike stopped at a red rusted door. It stood on it's own, far away from all the other doors in the hallway. "_This seems pretty suspicious_." Ike opened the door with ease.

The room was large and had numerous garbage dumpsters scattered all over the place. A large metal claw was hanging up above by a chain. A huge hole which made up half the room was on the far end. Ike went over to the hole and looked down into the dark. He couldn't see anything. "_Probably the garbage disposal? Aw, why am I even over here!? I need to find Zelda!_" Ike ran out of the room quickly and stumbled back into the hallway. No enemies to be seen.

"_Better keep moving_."

Ike wandered through the empty hallways, guessing at which direction Zelda would be in. He passed by a few portraits of a man in a purple robe, but he couldn't make anything out of it. "_I wonder what the others are up to? Hopefully they're having better luck than I am_."

Ike recalled Captain Falcon telling him not to wander too far into the city. He figured he'd be safe with Zelda by his side, but he was wrong. He did not expect to be ambushed by those leeches. He discarded the thought quickly.

"_Damn those leeches were creepy. And those zombies were even freakier_..." His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a scream.

"Zelda!" Ike ran through the halls, the portraits on the side staring down at him with the same face. He followed the voice as best he could through the maze. "Dammit! Where is she!? What are they doing to her!?" The paintings seemed to laugh at him as he ran by. "Shutup!" Ike confronted a large metal door which he thought Zelda was behind. "Zelda! I'm coming!" Ike burst through the door into the large room. He was on a platform next to a pool of sewage water. A shark fin was circling the surface of the pool. "Zelda! Where are you!?" Ike called.

"Ike! Up here!" Ike looked up to see Zelda in a cage being lowered down into the pool. "Help me!" Ike ran to the edge of the pool and waited until the cage came within range of his aether. Suddenly, a huge shark leaped out of the pool and chomped at Ike. He barely dodged as the shark disappeared back into the dirty water.

"Holy... Jeez, that shark was huge!" Obviously the shark resembled that of a Great White except some of it's skin was peeling off. The shark jumped straight up out of the water and attempted to bite at the lowering cage. Zelda screamed as she looked down the throat of her cold blooded killer. The shark came up short and fell back down into the pool. It jumped out again, this time knocking the cage with it's snout. The cage swung back and forth in the air.

"Ike!" Zelda screamed. Ike had to think fast. There was no way he could reach Zelda with his aether. If he waited for her to come within range, the shark would just jump up again and eat her.

"_I need to find a way to get up there before that shark_," he thought. The shark jumped again and managed to bite the bottom of the cage. It's large jaw made a dent in the metal as it fell back down again. Ike was running out of time. "_Dammit! Come on, think of something!_"

Ike took the opportunity as the shark leaped again. He jumped onto the shark as it flew up into the air. He then jumped off it when he nearly made it to the cage. The force of the jump made the shark fall into the pool and Ike managed to land on top of the cage.

"Ike! Thank goodness!"

"I'll save you!" Ike used his sword to cut a large hole in the top of the cage. Zelda climbed out and they both stood on top. The shark jumped a final time before grabbing the cage with it's jaw. Zelda stumbled on the top as the cage swung and she fell off into the water.

"Zelda! No!" cried Ike. The shark realized that it's prey had fallen into the water and it let go of the cage. Ike jumped off as well and waited until he and the shark were falling at the same speed. "No you don't!" Ike threw his sword at the shark.

"AETHER!" The blade spun at a fast pace and tore through the thick skin of the fish. The force of the attack knocked the shark off course as it landed on the edge of the pool, blood pouring into the sewage water. Zelda surfaced and looked around for her saviour.

"Ike? Ike!?"

"Right here." She turned around to see the swordsman standing on the edge of the pool, his hand outstretched. "Need a hand?" he said. Zelda took his hand graciously and he helped her out of the water.

They looked at each other for a moment before hugging, regardless of Zelda's soaked dress. Ike was just happy she was safe again.

"Thank God you came here to rescue me. Had it not been for you I... I don't even want to know what could have happened," she replied.

"Heh, all in a days work." The hugged again, but were interrupted by the sound of clapping hands.

They both turned to see a man in blue standing at the room entrance, men in black at his side with crossbows. The two looked at the man in blue who was clapping the whole time. Ike put his sword in front of him and braced himself for an assault. The man just laughed.

"How touching."

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"There they are!" said Samus. A group of four monks were carrying a sleeping Lucario down the hall.

"I'll handle this," replied Snake. He snuck over behind the unaware group for a few feet. He went over to a monk closest to him and he grabbed his neck. Snake twisted hard as the man fell to the ground, dead. The others turned to the secret attacker but were all knocked off their feet when Snake punched them all quickly. He caught Lucairo as he fell in midair. The monks on the ground got up slowly, but Samus quickly got rid of them with a few blasts of her cannon. Snake placed Lucario on the ground and started slapping him across the face.

"Hey asshole! Wake up!" he said. Ness looked up and down the hallways to make sure they weren't being watched. Lucario came to after a few slaps.

"Huh, what? Hey... Hey! Hey stop slapping me!" he cried. Lucario jumped onto his feet and Snake backed away.

"Finally you're awake," he replied. Lucario held his head.

"Ugh, I shouldn't have wasted so much aura. I'm going to need more rest if I'm going to recharge my energy." Snake rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you do that, especially when we're trapped underground with a bunch of freaks running around."

"Hey, Ike's not here," said Samus looking around. She just noticed he was missing.

"Oh don't tell me you want to go looking for him. He's a tough guy! He can handle himself!" retorted Snake. Ness's eyes got wide.

"I sense something..." he started.

"You sense something? What is it?" asked Lucario.

"Death. Over there." Ness pointed to a door that was down the hall. None of them had entered that door before. It looked just like all the other doors they had went through. Why was this one so special?

"You sense death over there? Man, that's not a good sign," said Snake. Ness approached it cautiously, Samus walking closely behind. Lucario and Snake followed from a reasonable distance. If there was a monster behind that door, they wanted to be far enough to not get hit by it. Ness opened the door slowly and stepped inside. No monster anywhere. Snake and Lucario caught up to Samus and they all entered at once. The entire room was pitch black.

"Ness! Where are you?" shouted Samus.

"No need to yell! I'm right in front of you!" he replied.

"I can't see a damn thing in this darkness!" said Snake.

"Hold on, a second. PK fire!" The room lit up from the light, but the group wished they had not seen what was in there. Dead bodies lay on top of each other in a large pile in the centre of the room. Ness jumped back and screamed as he saw this. The others just flinched.

"What the hell?...." Lucario closed his eyes immediately.

"What kind of sick people are they?" he asked out loud. Samus turned around and left the room. Never in her life had she seen something like this. It made her think of what these robed people were really planning. Ness, Snake and Lucairo followed her out. Snake shut the door behind him.

"Jesus, that was messed up," he said. Samus didn't reply. She pulled out her communicator and brought up the image of the deck of her ship. There was no one on screen.

"Merchant where the hell are you!? We need extraction now!" she cried. Falco's image appeared on screen.

"Hey Samus," he said. Samus' eyes got wide.

"Falco?! What are you doing on my ship!?"

"I came here a few minutes ago to check on you guys. The only one I found was this creepy guy in blue who was rummaging through your underwear drawer, but I took care of him so you don't have to worry." Snake laughed at this and Samus' face turned pitch red, though the others couldn't see it because of her suit.

"Where is he?"

"He's over there in that chair. Don't worry, he won't cause you any trouble anymore." The camera turned to the merchant who was waving at the screen.

"Heh heh. No hard feelings, strangah?"

"How the hell did he get in my room?!"

"I'm not sure, but judging from the charred pieces of metal at the door, I'd say he used one of Snake's explosives."

"Why that son of a bitch! I don't care who the hell he is I'll kill him!" shouted Snake. Samus got back on track.

"Falco, we need you to come pick us up. You have our coordinates from my varia suit. Meet us at the surface in an hour."

"Copy that. Wait, we shouldn't wait that long!"

"What?"

"I just got word that this place is going to blow in less than 3 hours!"

"3 hours?! Are you sure?!"

"Positive. I don't know what happened but that missile will be arriving here sooner than we thought. You guys got to get out of there now!"

"Uh yeah. Well, um... I'll hook up with you later. We just have to find a way back to the surface. Damn, 3 hours..."

"Okay, see you then. Hurry up."

"Gotcha." Samus turned off her communication device and the other smashers around her jut stared.

"3 hours..." repeated Ness.

"That's not a lot of time. We have to leave. Now." They all nodded heads and ran down the hallway.

The timer was ticking. Soon, the events that occurred 10 years ago will repeat itself. The city will be destroyed. The virus will spread across the country and infect every single living thing. Our heroes have fought bravely. They are now tired from running away. They will destroy the virus and save mankind, but only if they put their differences aside and fight as a team. It was now time to take a stand. To fight for what is right. To fight for justice. And to prove to the darkness that once and for all, good conquers evil. The truth has finally been revealed.


	15. Enter the Survival Horror

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Chris000 for giving me the suggestion to italicize character thoughts instead of putting them in quotations. I'll go back into all the other chapters and change those around too. Thanks to my reviewers too! Don't stop what you're doing!

Chapter 15: Enter the Survival Horror

Time Remaining: 2 hours 44 minutes.

Ike clenched his teeth at the sound of the stranger's raspy voice.

"_Is he the leader of this cult?_" Ike's eyes turned from monk to monk. There was no way he would be able to fight them all at once. Not if they were all carrying crossbows. He needed to get Zelda out of here. He tensed his muscles when he saw one of the monks adjust his aim. "Who are you?" asked Ike to the man in blue. He laughed before replying.

"I should be the one asking the questions around here, boy," responded Orlow. "Why did you disturb my pet during feeding time?" Ike glanced at Zelda who shot Orlow an angry glare.

"You were going to kill her!" replied Ike.

"That was the point. Took you awhile to grasp that. You are obviously a very boastful human. You have a big mouth, but can you back up those words with that sword?"

"What do you want with us?" said Zelda who was standing next to Ike, water dripping off her dress and onto the ground.

"That is none of your business," replied Orlow. He nodded to one of the armed monks and he fired off his crossbow. Ike was too slow to react and the arrow struck him on the left shoulder.

"Ahh!" He dropped his sword on the ground and held his wound.

"Ike no!" Zelda kneeled next to him but he pushed her away.

"Zelda, you need to get out of here!" Another arrow pierced him in the side and he fell over. These men must have knew where the weak points were in his armor. Zelda refused to move.

"No! I won't leave you!"

"Zelda! Go!" Zelda backed off from the swordsman and looked at one of the monks aim his crossbow at her.

"I'll come back for you. I promise." A white light enveloped Zelda's body and blinded the monks briefly.

"What sorcery is this?!" cried Orlow as he shielded his eyes. As the light faded, Sheik's body could now be seen where Zelda stood. "Get her!" said Orlow. All the monks fired their weapons at once. Sheik threw down a Deku Nut and disappeared. The arrows zoomed past the spot where Sheik once stood and hit the wall on the other side. Ike sighed with relief.

"Good, she's safe," said Ike to himself.

"Seize him," ordered Orlow. As a man in black came over to grab the swordsman, Ike stuck his leg out and tripped the man over his body. He grabbed his sword with his feet and brought it down on the fallen monk. The monk whispered in pain as he lowered his head to the ground. Ike smirked.

"You won't take me that easy." Suddenly, two more arrows struck him in the chest. "Ah!"

"If you resist at all, we will kill you," said Orlow. Ike closed his eyes and accepted his fate. He waited silently, while more men came over and dragged him out of the room.

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Sheik ran down the cold hallways, a tear leaving her eye.

"_I can't believe I just left him there! They'll kill him! I have to do something!"_ She navigated as best she could through the maze. "_It's all my fault! I should have saved him!_" Her memory shot back to what happened earlier that night.

"_A swarm of leeches crawled out of the sewer drains and flooded the bloody city streets. The smashers made the smart decision to retreat, but unfortunately, Zelda and Ike got cut off from the rest of the group. They ran through the streets, trying to avoid the infected leeches. They were lost and had no idea where to turn when they made it to an intersection. Zombies were approaching them from up the street, which gave Ike no choice but to smash open the manhole cover that lay before them. They then found themselves wandering the sewers for what seemed like eternity. They entered a stone maze and were soon ambushed by a group of robed men. These men then locked Ike up in a cell and took Zelda to a separate room._"Sheik stopped in the hallway and felt the side of her neck. She felt a small bump in her skin.

"_They've injected me with something. But what was it? Poison? That seems like the only logical explanation. Whatever it is, I need to get it out of my body somehow." Sheik _resumed her running pace. "_I need to find help! Some of the smashers have to be down here! There's no way they would abandon us! Or would they? No! I shouldn't think like that! My friends wouldn't abandon me if their lives depended on it! They would sooner die than leave me to be killed by these monsters! But, if that was true, where were they? Were they looking for me? Could they be dead already?_" Sheik shivered at the thought.

"_No. I refuse to believe that._"She thought she heard voices around the corner. Whispering voices. There was no doors in this hallway; no where to hide. The robed men turned the corner, but didn't notice the Sheikah on the ceiling.

"_There's only two of them. I can take them._"Sheik jumped from the ceiling and landed silently on the ground behind the monks. She drew out her knife and brought it around one of their necks and slashed at his throat. The man died silently. The other robed man didn't notice quick enough as he soon found himself in the same state as his friend. Blood trickled down Sheik's hands and she wiped it off on the side of her clothes. She holstered her weapon and continued her run. 

"_Who are these people? Are they some kind of secret cult under the city? What are they planning to do with us? What are they going to do to Ike? Did they kill him already? Or are they going to interrogate and torture him?_"Sherejected this last thought because she didn't want to think about it. She was really starting to hate this place. She would have preferred if Ganondorf took over Hyrule again. At least Link could handle him. But now, all the smashers were having difficulty trying to survive in this nightmare. 

"_Wasn't it Link who said that Snake was dead?_"The sound of her fast footsteps echoed through the tunnel and back at her. She wished that Lucario never got lost in the first place. It was the real reason she was down here.

"_If only I was with the others we could stand a fighting chance against these things." Sheik _heard metallic footsteps coming towards her. "_What is it? Some kind of armored monster?_" Sheik had no time to think as she soon jumped onto the ceiling and held her position until she could get a clear view of her new enemy. A human in orange armor was clanking towards her, unaware of her presence. The cyborg was being followed by a small boy, a man in stealth gear, and a blue jackal with a mask.

"_Wait a second. Could those be?... It is!_"Sheik fell from her position and landed in front of the approaching smashers.

"What the-? Sheik!" said Samus as she confronted the Sheikah. Ness couldn't believe it.

"Sheik! You're alive!" he shouted. Sheik looked at the four survivors in disgust.

"You guys are a mess. What were you doing down here?" she asked.

"Looking for you obviously!" replied Snake.

"Wait, where's Ike? We thought he was with you," said Samus. Sheik looked at the ground.

"He was, but those men. Those men in the black, they took him away. I don't know where he is now." Ness shook his head.

"Oh no."

"Sheik, we need to find him now! This city's going to blow if we don't get out of here in less than 3 hours!" said Samus.

"What!?" responded Sheik. "3 hours?! That's not enough time!"

"We know, which is why we need to move fast."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save him. Even after he saved me from that shark... I just feel so bad! He's going to die because of me!" Samus thought she saw a tear in Sheik's eye but wasn't sure because her hair was covering most of her face.

"Calm down, Sheik. We need to find him now while there's still time. Lucario, can you sense Ike's aura anywhere?" Lucario closed his eyes and focused.

"My aura is still weak from the previous events, but I should be able to find him without any trouble," he replied. His lifted his paws up in front of him and tried to find their friend. Out of the five of them, Samus seemed to have the strongest aura.

Through his eyes, Lucario could see Samus' body coloured a pure blue colour. "_She must think that we're going to make it out of here alive._"

Snake's and Sheik's aura was a slightly tanned shade of blue compared to Samus. "_They must have some doubts about our escape or friends._"

Ness's aura was a faded blue colour. "_His morality has been broken. Poor kid." _Lucario focused his paws through the tunnels and walls.

"_He's down here somewhere. I can feel it._" He felt the presence of demonic aura all over the maze. Aura that was not pure and blue, but evil and red. He sensed the aura off a group of survivors mixed with a group of evil encounters, which suggested that of a battle.

"_There's more of us down here? We may be able to get out of here alive._"Hefelt one small spark of pure aura surrounded by demonic aura.

"_This has to be Ike._"Lucario opened his eyes. "He's alive, and he's close by. We have to move now!" Everyone nodded.

"Which way?" asked Snake. Lucario focused again and tried to home in on Ike's position. He was unable to this time as something was blocking his train of thought.

"I... I can't find him. Something's in the way." Samus gave a surprised look inside her suit.

"What do you mean there's something in the way?"

"I don't know. There's some kind of aura blocking my path. It's huge. Evil." Sheik felt the ground rumbling beneath her feet.

"What?" The others felt it too.

"Whatever it is, it's coming this way!" said Snake as he pointed ahead of the group. Sheik turned around and looked down the hallway. A large creature was slowly walking around the corner towards them. It's large feet crushed the dirty stone beneath it. It carried a heavy chain in its hands which rattled as it dragged on the floor. It stood 10 feet high, almost as high as the ceiling. It barely even fit as it walked down the hallway. The monster was breathing heavily through it's large mouth as it's red eyes stared directly at the group.

"INTRUDERS... DESTROY!!!" it snarled.

"What the hell!? Did that thing just talk?!" said Snake. The monster charged to the survivors as it swung it's chain in mid air.

"It's coming this way!" said Samus. Sheik looked down the hallway. "_There's no way we'll be able to outrun it. And there's no doors to hide in. We have to fight!_"

"Follow my lead!" called Sheik. She ran up to the stampeding beast and jumped up to it's head. She kicked it hard in the face as the creature stopped and staggered back. Sheik landed on the ground and retreated back to the group. "That thing is hard! I nearly broke my ankle!" she said. Snake examined the stunned monster.

"_We need to find a way to kill it with something big, but what?_" he thought. The monster stood tall and growled loudly. Ness flinched at the sound.

"What's it doing?" The monster threw it's long chain fast at the group. The chain latched around Sheik's body and the monster pulled her in towards it.

"Hey! Let go!" she cried.

"Shit!" cursed Snake as he ran to help Sheik. Lucario got in front of Samus and Ness.

"In order to destroy this thing, we need to combine our attacks like last time!" he said. Samus and Ness nodded and all three of them began charging their super attacks. Snake grabbed Sheik's arms as she was being pulled in. He managed to stop the monster a little, but he felt his feet dragging on the ground.

"_There's no way I'll be able to match the strength of this thing!_"he thought.

"Don't let go!" cried Sheik. The creature pulled with all it's might as it hunched over. Sheik felt her body being stretched. "Snake! It's no use!" Snake shook his head.

"No! It's not over yet!" Snake let go of Sheik but he jumped on the chain as it flew towards the monster. Snake leapt off the flying chain and drop kick the monster in the face. The monster fell over backwards as Sheik and the chain flew over it's body and landed behind it. Snake landed on top of the beast. "Eat it you freak!" he cheered. The monster grabbed Snake's body in it's hand and smashed him through the wall.

"Snake no!" cried Sheik as she tried to get the chain off her. She couldn't undo it because the chain was wrapped so tight. The monster brought it's hand out from the hole in the wall leaving Snake in the other room. The three other smashers were just about finished charging their ultimate attack.

"Get ready guys!" said Samus. All three of them aimed their attacks at the monster. The creature realized this and pulled the chain with Sheik and threw her towards the three smashers.

"Look out!" said Lucario. All three of them had to cancel their attack as Sheik and the chain flew past them and landed on the ground.

"I'm tired of being thrown around like this!" yelled Sheik. Samus cursed. They needed another way to kill this thing. The monster pulled Sheik back towards it and it caught Sheik in it's hands.

"DESTROY..." it growled in a low voice. It opened it's mouth to eat Sheik.

"Ah!!" she screamed.

"Sheik no!"

"Hiyah!" Snake jumped out of the hole in the wall and drop kicked the monster in the face a second time. The monster dropped Sheik into Snake's arms as he landed.

"Think you could take me out that easy bitch!?" he yelled. Sheik could tell that he was beat up pretty badly as he had a large red gash on across his chest. Snake quickly helped Sheik out of the chains and he put her back on her feet. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks for that."

"No problem." The monster got up again and brought it's fists up high, preparing to bring it down on the two survivors. A rocket soon met its face as it staggered back again. Samus stood at the back with her smoking cannon out.

"Get out of there!" she called. Snake and Sheik switched places with Ness and Lucario. The monster looked at it's new enemies, it's face even more uglier than it already was.

"Force Palm!" shouted Lucario as he grabbed the monster's leg and shot it back with his aura power. The monster's leg fell behind it and it was about to topple forward.

"PK Thunder!" said Ness as he shot blue lightning bolts at the creatures face. The monster was electrocuted as it hit the ground. Lucario and Ness barely got out of the way.

"Is... it dead?" asked Sheik from the back. Ness kicked the large body in front of him.

"Yeah, it's dead." Suddenly, the monster's hand grabbed Ness. "Ah!"

"Ness!" shouted Lucario. Lucario's tail turned a shiny white colour as he brought it down on the monsters face. "Iron Tail!" he shouted before smashing the face inwards. The monster roared in pain one last time before dying and dropping Ness back on the ground. Ness ran back, breathing heavily.

"That was scary." Lucario went back to the group.

"Normally, I don't like to use my Iron Tail attack, but that thing left me no choice," he said.

"What was it anyway?" asked Samus. Lucario shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know. We should watch out if there are more of them, though. Let's just find Ike and get out of here," he replied. Everyone nodded. As they walked, Snake limped a little.

"You okay?" asked Sheik. Snake forced a smile through the pain.

"Oh yeah, just fine. Just a little shaken up, that's all."

"Ike's aura is dying slowly. We need to find him now!" cried Lucario. He dashed through the maze quickly. The others followed as best they could. Sheik caught up to Lucario.

"Is he still alive?" she asked. Lucario did not look at her.

"Barely. If we don't find him soon, he will die," he responded. Sheik did not reply.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Link slashed the head off the head of the first monk and then made his way to the next. He didn't even flinch at the feeling of cold blood hitting his face. One monk in front of him swung at him with a mace. He blocked with his shield and slashed with his sword, cutting the man in half.

"Someone give me some cover!" he shouted over the voices. Soon enough, Leon was next to him and slicing at monks with his combat knife.

"You called?" he said as he struck a man's legs, making him fall to his knees. Leon got close to him and performed a suplex on the unfortunate soul. The monks body flipped right over as his head exploded on the ground. Claire was providing cover fire with her handgun. She shot a monk who was attempting to get at Link from behind. He fell over behind Link but he didn't even notice. Van went wild with his SMG and mowed down a whole wave of monks.

"Oh yeah! You want some of this?!" he taunted. Link smiled in the middle of the bloodbath.

"_This is easy! Those zombies outside were harder than these guys!_" he thought. Link took out another monk with his sword. He was going to need to clean it after this. Leon kicked a monk into the wall, killing him instantly. He felt cold hands grab him around the back of the neck, but Claire quickly took care of him with her handgun. Some monks in the back of the group were carrying spiked wooden shields but they didn't protect them very well from Van's gun. In 10 minutes, the entire group of monks were reduced to nothing more than bloodstains on the wall. Link and Leon's clothes were both wet with crimson.

"Feels like I'm back in Europe," said Leon. Link wiped the blood off his sword on his tunic, which was starting to look like his Goron Tunic. Claire checked the barrel of her gun.

"Leon, I need more ammo," she said plainly. Leon tossed her his box of bullets.

"There's about 30 shots in there. Don't waste them," he replied.

"You insult me as a marksman!" she said playfully. Todd came over to the group.

"Wow, you guys killed them," he said. Van reloaded what ammo he left into his gun.

"Yeah I'm running out too," he admitted. Link was glad he had his sword instead of a gun. He was more used to fighting close combat than fighting from a distance. He was surprised to see how skilled Leon was with his knife.

"You're pretty good with that," said Link. Leon tossed the knife up in the air and holstered it.

"Thanks. We've been through a lot together. This knife has never let me down before," he replied. The thought of Jack Krauser blew through Leon's mind but he quickly abandoned the thought.

"Well, now that that's done, let's keep moving," said Claire who started walking down the hall from where those monks came from. She stopped suddenly and fell to her knees.

"Claire! What's wrong?" said Leon who came to her side. Claire was coughing up blood on the crimson ground. She stared at her blood.

"It's already happening..." she started.

"Hey what's wrong with her?" asked Todd.

"It's the virus. It's taking effect. It'll only be a matter of time before it takes over her body completely," replied Van. Leon cursed.

"There has to be a way to get this thing out of your body!" he said. He remembered how he and Ashley managed to destroy the Plagas inside them when they were back on the island. It was a difficult process, but they got rid of it using some kind of specialized machine. "_Fat chance we'll find something like that down here_," thought Leon. "_But maybe there's a different way to destroy it, assuming it's the other virus." _

"We need to find a cure now, while the virus is still in it's infant stage," said Van as he holstered his weapon. Link sheathed his sword and shield as he looked down the hall.

"_Samus... Are you okay?_"He was beginning to regret telling Samus and Ness to run when they met that Tyrant. He wanted her back. "_She's alive, I know that. Something inside me is telling me that she's down here somewhere. I need to find her or else I'll never be able to escape this place._" Todd cracked his knuckles before putting a hand on Link's shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked. Link smiled at him. It was good to know Todd wasn't angry anymore.

"_He's just a guy who wants to get out of this mess, just like the rest of us._"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up," he replied. Todd smiled back at him.

"Do you think we'll ever be able to get out of here?"

"Yes... Yes I think we will. One way or another." Van turned to Todd.

"I already told you I'd get you out of here just fine! Remember?" he said.

"Oh yeah," responded Todd. Todd was still unsure whether he should trust Van. He had already lied to him once. What's to say he wasn't doing it again? Leon helped Claire off the floor.

"Too bad your brother isn't here," he said to her, trying to calm her down.

"Yeah, Chris is somewhere lost in Africa. I have no idea where though. He's working for some new organization now. You know, I'm actually glad he's not here. Otherwise he'd be going through the same hell we are," she replied.

"Tell me about it." They both laughed together. Link was amazed how they could stay calm under such harsh circumstances.

"_These guys. They're built tough_," he thought. Van tapped his foot on the ground impatiently.

"Alright, are we going or what? My stomachs howling for a steak right now. It would be nice if we could move on," he said. Van couldn't believe he just said that. Was he really breaking under the pressure? He was supposedly built like a machine, that wasn't trained to think, but to do. At the beginning of this mission, he was so serious and determined to complete his objective. But now, he was cracked. He has grown soft for these people over the past few hours. These _friends_. Van tossed the thought out of his mind and continued tapping his foot.

"Yeah, yeah we're coming," replied Leon. Van cursed at himself as he remembered he had used his last cigarette at the church.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ike slowly opened his eyes. He tried to move his body but couldn't. He was stuck. He looked to his right to see his hand tied to a metal stake in the ground. His left hand was in the same state. ike tried with all his strength to break free of his bracing's, but the rope was too tight and the metal poles were too strong. He realized that all his upper armor and clothes were stripped completely off his body.

"What the hell is going on?" he muttered. A figure in blue walked in front of him.

"Ah good, you're awake," said the figure. Ike recognized this voice easily.

"_It's that guy. The leader._" The man in blue brought his face down to Ike's level so that they could see into each other's pupils.

"I was starting to wonder when you were going to wake up," continued to man. Ike looked away from him.

"What did you do to me?" he choked.

"Oh ho! My boy, we've done nothing to you! Not yet, that is..." Orlow nodded to a monk in black that was behind Ike who was carrying a whip. The monk nodded back and struck Ike's bare back with his weapon. Ike gritted his teeth hard and winced at the sudden pain and the sound of leather meeting skin.

"I see what this is. You're going to interrogate me aren't you?" said Ike.

"That is the idea," responded Orlow. Ike felt blood run down his back.

"_This is not good."_ Orlow got up and started pacing back and forth in front of the swordsman.

"Anyways, let's get down to business," he said. Ike spat on the ground as a response. Orlow cleared his throat. "There are a number of intruders skulking about in my tunnels tonight. Tell me, are you in any association with them?" he asked. Ike thought. He couldn't lie. He knew this man in blue knew about Zelda. Of course Ike wasn't alone down here.

"Yes. I am," Ike replied.

"Hmm. I see. That was just a test to make sure you cooperate. I already knew you had something to do with the others. Now, onto the real questions." Ike gulped. "How many of you are there?" asked Orlow. Ike cursed in his mind. "_I have no idea! For all I know all the smashers could be trapped down here. I have to lie!"_

"Um... 20," answered Ike. Orlow nodded to the monk and Ike was whipped again, this time on the lower back. Ike slammed his eyes shut as he endured the pain.

"You're lying! How many of you are there?" repeated Orlow.

"16." The monk whipped him again, now adding a third red line to the two previous ones.

"Lies! How many of you are there?"

"What if I don't tell you?"

"We kill you. Either you tell me what I want, or die. You're choice my friend." Ike spat at his words.

"Friend? You bastard, you're a waste of my-" Another strike to Ike's bleeding back stopped him in mid-sentence.

"Are you going to answer the question or not?" Ike breathed deeply.

"I don't know," replied Ike.

"I don't believe you."

"What more proof do you want!? I DO NOT KNOW how many of us there are!" Even though Ike's answer was true, he was whipped anyway.

"Okay, I think you're telling the truth. Now answer this. Who sent you?" asked Orlow.

"What?"

"Who sent you!?" Ike thought carefully. "_Would it be okay if I told him about Master Hand and the others? No, I can't, otherwise I'll be putting everyone else's lives on the line. What was that organization that guy said? It began with a U... Umbrella?_"

"Umbrella," replied Ike, "I work for Umbrella." Orlow raised an eyebrow at this.

"Nice try." Ike was struck two more times in the back. He entire back was almost covered in blood. He almost couldn't take the pain anymore. "If you lie one more time, we will kill you," said Orlow. Ike lowered his head and stared at the ground.

"_This can't be the end, can it?_"

"Now, who sent you?" repeated Orlow. Ike hesitated for a long time. Orlow waited patiently. "Well?" he edged on. Ike stared at the ground but slowly raised his head and looked up into the eyes of his torturer.

"God sent me. He sent me here to dispose of the demons who destroyed this city." Orlow looked into the eyes of the young swordsman and almost felt intimidated. Orlow shook off the heroic statement with a laugh.

"This one won't tell us anything. Kill him. And make sure he dies slowly," said Orlow. Ike closed his eyes before he felt the whip come down on his back for the eighth time. The monk raised the weapon again up high and prepared to whip Ike to death.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Link's ears pricked at the sound of a scream which echoed through out the hallway. He stopped running and turned to his comrades.

"Hey did you guys here that?" he asked. Claire put a hand to her ear to listen.

"No, I don't hear anything," she replied. Link listened again. The scream was gone.

"Are you sure you heard something, Link?" asked Leon who was standing next to Claire.

"Yeah, I'm almost certain. It was so real." A second scream echoed through the tunnels, this time, all five survivors heard it. Todd flinched at the sound.

"I heard that!" he said.

"That sounded like Ike!" said Link.

"Wait, who's Ike?" asked Van. His question never got answered as Link ran down the hallway and followed the voice.

"Follow him!" shouted Claire. The four survivors chased the Hylian through the labyrinth. The sound of Ike's voice was getting louder. He was in pain.

"What are they doing to him!?" yelled Link to no one in particular. He turned down the hallway and stopped in front of a lone red door that appeared to be locked. "Ike's on the other side of this door!" he said. The rest of the group caught up to him. "Guys! He's behind this door but it's locked!" shouted Link.

"Link?" Someone voice who wasn't in that group had said Link's name. Everyone looked around.

"Who said that?" asked Van as he wheeled his weapon around. Link looked down the other end of the hallway and saw a lone figure in orange, bloodstained armor. He recognized her instantly.

"Samus!" he cried.

"Guys! I found Link!" she said as she ran to the Hylian group. Soon, Lucario, Ness, Snake and Sheik popped around the corner and followed Samus to the group. Link was too awe-struck for words.

"_I knew I'd find her!_"

Samus ran into his arms and they hugged comfortably, regardless of Samus' hard armor.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" said Samus. Link couldn't help but laugh. He didn't know what to say to her. He just didn't want to let her out of his sights again. "I'm so happy you're okay!" she continued. Link hugged her even tighter when she said this. How long has it been?

"Hey Link, long time no see," said a familiar voice. Link let go of Samus and looked at the tall, scruffy looking man with a bloody chest behind her. His eyes went wide.

"Wh-What?! Snake!?" he choked. Snake smiled at him.

"That's right! You didn't think I'd let those mindless freaks kill me, did you?" he replied. Link couldn't believe his eyes. All this time he had thought that the infamous Solid Snake was dead. Yet here he stood, right in front of him.

"I... don't understand..." said Link.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later." Snake looked at the group of humans Link was with. "Friends of yours?" he asked. Link looked at his fellow survivors as if he had forgotten they were standing behind him the whole time.

"Oh yeah! These guys saved my life and they've been trying to help me find you guys! This is Leon, Claire, Van and Todd," said Link as he introduced each of his new friends. The others smiled or waved except Van.

"M_an, how many of these weirdos are there"?_ he thought. Link noticed Lucario standing next to Snake.

"You guys found Lucario too? That's perfect! We can finally get out of here now that we're all together!" exclaimed Link. Lucario shook his head.

"No, Ike is still missing. He's in this room right here," replied Lucario. Link was reminded of his lost friend when he heard another scream come from the door.

"You're right. We have to save him." Sheik looked at the four new humans.

"Can we trust these people to help save Ike?" she asked.

"There's no time to worry about that! We have to save him while he's still alive!" shouted Samus.

"We can't! The doors sealed with a padlock!" replied Link. Leon pulled out his TMP and blasted away the lock with a few rounds.

"Not anymore. It's all yours Link," he said. Link felt an adrenaline rush in his body. He drew out his Master Sword and Hylain Shield and they both sparkled under the torch light.

"Okay guys! This is it! Let's do this!"

"Yeah!"

Link kicked the door open and the 10 survivors sprung into the room. Ike was off to the side, tied to two metal stakes in the ground. A lone monk was behind him and striking his bare back with a bloody whip. Ike was screaming in pain after each consecutive blow.

"Ike!" shouted Sheik. The entire room was empty except for a stone table which stood in the centre of the large space. Orlow was standing in front of it and looking at the new intruders.

"Mr. Kennedy. So nice of you to join us!" he said. Leon pulled out his rifle and blew the head off the monk with the whip. Ike's head fell low as blood dripped onto the floor.

"My pleasure," replied Leon. Sheik ran over to Ike and tried to undo the bindings. Van pushed Todd forward.

"Better help her out. Leave this guy to us," he said. Todd nodded began walking to the bleeding swordsman.

"Wait, take this too," said Leon as he tossed Todd his only can of First Aid Spray. Todd caught it and went over to untie Ike. Ike's entire back was painted red from the whipping. Sheik and Todd released him and lay him on the ground. Sheik transformed into Zelda and attempted to perform her healing magic on him. Ike did not open his eyes.

"I don't know if my power will be enough to save him," said Zelda. Todd got down next to her and shook the can. He had never used First Aid Spray before, but he had seen Van use it once.

"Let me try this," he said. Samus pointed a finger at Orlow.

"Who are you?!" she asked. Orlow shook his head.

"Is that the question of the day?" he replied.

"His name is Drazn Orlow, the current leader of the Los Illuminados," said Leon. "He's the one that's been behind the outbreak!" Orlow laughed to himself.

"Good job, Leon, you figured it out," he replied sarcastically. Leon aimed his rifle at Orlow.

"This ends now!" he shouted before pulling the trigger. The chamber clicked empty. Leon threw his gun on the ground.

"Dammit! Right when I need it, too!" Lucario stepped forward.

"Why did you do this?" he asked. Orlow smirked.

"One word. Revenge." Orlow lifted his hand up in front of his face and focused it at Claire. "Two members of your group seem to be infected with the virus. No, two of you're members are infected with two _different_ virus'_,_" he said. Claire felt his power penetrate her body. She froze on the spot. Her eyes turned a bloody red as she walked towards the table, as if she were in a trance.

"Wait, Claire what are you doing!?" said Link.

"It's the virus!" cried Van. Claire made no response, but continued to walk up to the altar.

"Yes, come to me Claire Redfiled," chanted Orlow. Leon busted out his TMP gain and open fired on Orlow. The bullets hit him dead on, but he did not seemed to be fazed at all by the attack. Leon's gun clicked empty as he looked at Orlow who had a bunch of bullet holes in his cloak.

"Heh, my turn," he said as he clenched his fist. Claire turned around quickly and fired a single bullet from her handgun right at Leon's head. Time seemed to slow as the bullet travelled through the air. It was impossible for Leon to dodge the attack. Link quickly jumped in front of him and blocked it with his shield. The bullet hit the metal with a clink as it fell and hit the floor.

"Nice try," taunted Link. Orlow made no reaction.

"No matter. As long as I have Claire by my side, I am untouchable." Leon cursed. Snake just smirked.

"Well, this sucks." Orlow cleared his throat.

"I never expected anyone to make it this far into my lair. No regular human could stand up against an army of the living dead, not to mention all the other monsters I'm sure you have run into while in the city. Then again, you all aren't regular humans. Tell me, just what are you people?" Samus stepped forward.

"We are heroes. United at the world's most darkest hour. And we've come here to kill you," she said heroically. Obviously she was lying, but she was just trying to get some more information out of Orlow. "What is your plan?"she continued. Orlow laughed again.

"Oh you really want to know don't you? Well, I might as well tell you considering you are all going to die down here anyway. I have brought back monsters from past. Ones that were destroyed 10 years ago. Thanks to Umbrella, I was able to obtain the one and only T-Virus, which I made several copies of and spread across Raccoon City. My original intention was to overthrow the United States with the power of the T-Virus and Los Plagas combined, until I realized that both virus' had one major quality. When used separately, they create beings of supernatural strength and intelligence, but at the same time, mutate them beyond the point of death. When used together, they crate the ultimate bio-weapon mankind will ever know!" A loud rumbling sound was heard from behind Orlow. All the survivors braced themselves.

"Something's coming!" said Samus.

"It's demonic aura level! I can't even measure it!" cried Lucario. The wall behind Orlow exploded and an army of one hundred 10 foot tall monsters walked into the room. They carried heavy chains which dangled on their arms as they stomped towards the table. They all stopped behind Orlow and Claire.

"ORDERS..." they all said at once. Link couldn't even count how many of them there were. There was barely enough room to fit them all in the room! Orlow was laughing maniacally.

"Behold the ultimate bio-soldier! The ultimate army! Behold the Hybrid Tyrant!"


	16. Breaking Through the Cracks

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** Just want to thank my reviewers yet again. This is the first time I've updated in well over a week. That's a new record for me!

Chapter 16: Breaking Through the Cracks

Time Remaining: 2 hours 07 minutes.

The Hybrids stared down at the survivors. Link gritted his teeth nervously. His eyes dotted from one monster to the next.

"_How many of them are there_?" he thought. Link saw the Hybrid's standing impatiently behind their master; the green liquids oozing out of their chests. Orlow had a huge grin on his face.

"You have all come very far. Now it's time for me to put my ultimate creations to the test," he said, "you will battle my minions all at once. That way, I'll be able to see how strong they've become." Link turned away from the madman. There's no way they would be able to fight that many giants by themselves. He looked at Samus, but her face was hidden by her visor. Link glanced at his sword. His reflection stared back at him in disgust.

"_What are you waiting for? Get out of here_!" it said to him. Link looked back at Orlow. There was no way he could run away now. Not after all he's been through tonight.

"So, it's a test?" asked Link as confidently as he could. Orlow nodded.

"Yes, you could put it that way. I'm eager to see what these Hybrid Tyrants are capable of," he replied. Leon pointed his gun at Orlow.

"And if we refuse?" he asked. Orlow waved his hand at Claire who was standing right next to him. She brought the barrel of her handgun to the side of her head.

"Refuse my challenge, and the girl dies," he said plainly. Leon lowered his empty weapon. He couldn't risk losing Claire. Not a second time. He looked over at Ike who was slowly recovering from his wounds. He had small arrow wounds in his chest.

"_The First Aid Spray must be working,"_ thought Leon. Ike was conscience and standing up while leaning on Todd. His bare torso had small cuts on it, but Zelda's magic was healing it away. Ike made a gesture to the table behind Orlow.

"My... sword... Hand me... my sword," he struggled. Todd looked over and noticed Regnell lying on the stone table along with Ike's armor and upper clothes. He wanted to retrieve the items, but was too afraid of the strange man in the blue robe. He was also wondering why Claire had a gun to her head. Snake spat on the ground and looked at his enemies.

"Man, I could sure use a smoke right now," he said. Of all the times, why now? Van heard his comment and reached into his pocket for his box of cigarettes. A frown covered his face when he found the box to be empty. Yet again, he had forgotten about his last smoke at the church.

"Sorry friend, I'm all out," replied Van.

"That's okay, it ain't gonna kill me." Orlow clenched his fists.

"What will it be Mr. Kennedy?" he asked casually. Leon glanced at Claire and then back at the army behind her. He looked at Link who made no reaction at all. Leon sighed.

"Alright, have it your way then," he replied. Orlow smirked.

"As I expected. Hybrid Tyrants! Destroy the intruders!" he ordered.

"DESTROY... INTRUDERS!" called the army. They charged around the table and towards the survivors. Samus almost lost her balance from the rumbling floor.

"Shit! What now!?" she cursed. Link glanced at Ike and then back at his assaulters.

"Everyone scatter!" he yelled. All the survivors split apart into small groups to avoid being hit. Chains were flying everywhere as the Hybrids attempted to grapple the smashers. Lucario cursed as he got hit in the side by a stampeding beast. Van fired off the last rounds of his SMG at an approaching Tyrant. A full clip to the face caused the monster to topple forward and die as blood seeped from the body. Van wiped his forehead.

"Whew. One down, um, wait how many are there?" Van's weapon got knocked out of his hand by a thrown chain. He shrugged his shoulders thinking that he would never need it again, but now he was short of a weapon.

"Shit!" Snake dodged flying chains left and right. There was no way he was going to take down one of those with just his bare hands. He and Sheik already had trouble fighting one of them. There was no way he would be able to take out a mob on his own. Samus jumped in front of him as a Tyrant was about to punch him. She fired off a fully charged beam and caused the monster to stagger back into a group of it's siblings. "Thanks for that," said Snake. Samus nodded. Ness created a secure wall of fire around him to prevent any creature from getting near him. The fire magic was working until one Tyrant managed to jump over the flames and knock Ness off his feet. The Tyrant grabbed Ness and brought him up to his mouth to eat.

"Ahh!" screamed Ness as he tried to shield his eyes. His plea was soon answered when Lucario fired an Aura Sphere at the monster causing it to fall into the fire. Ness made it out unharmed. "Whew, thanks Lucario," he said graciously.

"Any time. Ness, we are at a disadvantage here. We're severely outnumbered."

"Well no kidding!"

"This room is too small for a battle. If we are going to have any chance of surviving, we need to move out on to the streets!"

"But how?" Lucario looked about the battlefield. There was nothing in the room except a table and a big hole in the wall caused by the rampaging monsters. Lucario got an idea.

"Ness, get Samus over here! We need her now!" Leon did a dodge roll under a Tyrant to avoid being grabbed. He did not kep his eyes off of Claire.

"_Shit, we can't run away, either. He'll make her kill herself if we do_," he thought. Leon ran over to Ike while ducking under low flying chain. Ike was coughing up blood, but most of his wounds were gone. Zelda was holding him up.

"Ike, can you stand?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just need... my sword," he replied as he broke free from her.

"Where's your sword?" asked Leon. Ike pointed at the table.

"Over there." Leon turned to the table and noticed Todd stumbling through the room, trying to get to the table without being hit. Leon cursed.

"Todd wait!" he called as he chased him down. A Tyrant rammed Leon to the side and he flew into a wall. "Ugh!"

Todd sneaked behind the table, unnoticed by Orlow who was too busy enjoying the war.

"Yes! Tear them all to shreds!" he cheered. Todd poked his head up on the table to see the sword and armor.

"_I'm gonna do it! I'm not going to be useless anymore!_" he thought confidently. Todd grabbed the hilt, but had trouble moving it. "_This thing is heavy_!" Leon recovered from the blast just in time to see a Tyrant heading right towards him. Leon quickly dodged to the side and the Tyrant slammed into the wall. He was barely able to dodge the falling rocks. Suddenly a loud clanging sound was heard in the room. Leon looked up to see Todd holding the large sword on the ground. Orlow saw Todd.

"You!" he said.

Orlow grabbed Todd's neck and raised him up high. Todd struggled to break free, but the monk was too strong.

"You are weak," said Orlow plainly as he looked into Todd's pure, dying eyes. Todd could feel his lungs collapsing as they lost air. Van quickly grabbed Orlow's arm that held up Todd and snapped it backwards. Orlow cried in pain as he dropped the civilian on the ground. Todd was coughing for air. He looked up to see his savior.

"You okay?" asked Van. Todd nodded.

"Get that sword to that guy with the headband," choked Todd. Van picked up the sword using all his strength. He brought it over to Ike and Zelda. Ike was standing on his own now.

"Thank you," he said as Van handed him his weapon. Van gave a salute.

"Anytime!"

"Guys watch out!" screamed Zelda as a group of Tyrants came piling towards them. She used Farore's Wind to teleport Ike and Van to a safer part of the room. Van stumbled as he regained his footing.

"Whoa, that was weird," he said. Leon pulled the gun out of Claire's hands and tossed it to the ground a few feet away.

"Claire! Snap out of it! You're infected!" he said as he shook her. Claire did not listen. She was still being controlled by Orlow. Orlow held his broken arm with his other hand as blood trickled down the side of his head.

"I'll kill you!" he cried. He held out his hand and clenched his fist. Claire stood tall and stared at Leon. Leon backed away.

"Claire?" Claire threw a punch at Leon but he quickly dodged. "Claire what are you doing!?" Claire did not reply but continued to attack with a combination of punches and spin kicks. Leon could not fight her. He put his arms up to defend himself from the blows. "Snap out of it! It's me! Leon!" Orlow laughed in pain as he held his aching arm.

"Link! Snake! We need you to cover us!" said Samus who was charging her super attack in a corner of the room. Link and Snake nodded to each other as a group of Tyrants stampeded towards them. Snake ran up to them while Link pulled out his hookshot and hooked onto the brick wall on the other side of the room.

"Snake now!" said Link. Snake smirked as he quickly turned around and lead the Tyrants to Link's trap. Link braced himself and held his hookshot tightly. Snake leaped over the chain, the Tyrants followed him. They did ont notice the long chain and tripped over it and fell over. The force of the fall made Link go flying and he landed on the pile of monsters, the hookshot, leaving his hand.

"Now Samus!" called Snake. Ness, Lucario and Samus nodded to each other as they unleashed their ultimate attack.

"Aura Beam Flash!" they all shouted. A huge explosion of dark green energy enveloped the wall behind them and it collapsed. Snake stood off to the side a bit confused.

"Um, the enemies are over there..." he said. Ness fell on the ground, exhausted from the energy he released. Suddenly, the ceiling started to rumble as rocks fell from up high. Snake nearly got crushed by a huge boulder. "Oh I see what you were doing," he said. Link jumped off the pile as a huge rock crushed the entire mass of bodies. "Alright! Whoa!" he cried as he almost got hit by a boulder.

"Samus! This place is going to fall apart!" he shouted. Orlow stumbled about as the ceiling started caving him. His minions, being as huge as they were, were being crushed before his very eyes as the heavy rocks buried them alive. Todd was still on the ground, still in shock from what just happened to him. A falling stone nearly crushed his leg as he rolled to the side.

"We need to get out of here!" said Zelda. Ike nodded as a small stone bounced off his shoulder and onto the floor. He could barely hear anything over the falling rocks and cries of the undead.

"Wait, where's Todd?" asked Van as he looked around. He saw him behind the table and lying on the ground. "Todd!" Van ran over to him and tried to help him up.

"Van! You came back!" said Todd. Van heard a loud cracking sound. He looked up and saw a huge piece of the ceiling about to fall on him and Todd. Van cursed.

"Todd! Go!" he shouted.

"What!?" Van had no time to react as the huge rock started falling towards him. He only had one option at this point. Van put his hands up and braced his legs. He received the boulder very roughly as his muscles strained to hold it up.

"Go! Now!" he shouted as blood dripped out of his mouth. His face was all dusty and dirty from the flying rubble. Todd didn't know what to do. Right before his eyes, the very hero who saved his life, was dying. Van cursed again. Todd realized what he had to do and moved away from Van as fast as he could crawl.

"Van! Don't!" he cried. Van smiled at him.

"Todd... I... I promised you I'd get you out of this city."

Van got down on one leg as the weight crushed his body.

"And I'm not about to go back on my word."

At this, the large rock fell on top of Van's body and the heavy earth buried him beneath the darkness. Private Van Valchev, of the Umbrella Retrieval Unit, was dead. Todd couldn't believe his eyes as he sat there on the cold stone.

"No..."

All the sounds around him; the cries of the Tyrants; the breaking stone. They were gone. All that he heard was silence. Zelda and Ike ran up to him.

"We have to leave now!" she shouted. Light peered into the dungeon from where the huge rock fell. They were closer to the surface than they thought. Zelda grabbed Todd and Ike and she used Farore's Wind to teleport them up to the city. Leon and Claire were still fighting on the other side of the room. Orlow was smiling.

"My pets! We must retreat to the surface!" he shouted. The Tyrants stopped fighting the smashers and they all jumped up through the hole and to the surface. Orlow laughed maniacally as a huge stone fell on his body.

"Claire! You have to fight it! The virus is inside you! You have to fight it!" said Leon as he blocked a punch from Claire. Claire still didn't listen as she followed through with a round house kick to Leon's stomach. Leon fell to his knees and looked up at Claire's red eyes. "Claire..." Link noticed Leon on the ground and tried to help him, but Snake held him back.

"Leon! No!" he cried. Snake pulled Link back to Samus as a rock fell to where they were standing.

"We need to get out of here before we're buried!" shouted Snake. Samus nodded and grabbed Link who still struggled.

"Let go of me! He needs help!" Samus refused to listen and pulled Link to the huge rock pile and brought him to the surface. Snake followed along with Lucario and Ness. Leon stared at Claire's face a she looked down at him. He couldn't recognize her.

"_These weren't the eyes I fell in love with. She can't be gone..."_ he thought. Claire brought her fist up, ready to bring it down on Leon. Leon did not react. She stared at Leon's eyes. She knew them all too well. These weren't the eyes of a coward. They were the eyes of someone who followed what they believed in, the eyes of a hero, the eyes that have survived corruption and abuse. They were the eyes of the person she loved. The redness in Claire's eyes started to fade back to blue as her and Leon's eyes stayed locked. She lowered her fist as a tear formed in her eye.

"Leon..." she said. Leon stood up and embraced her as she started to cry.

"_Man that was close_," he thought to himself. "_But how is she fine now? The virus is still inside her_." Leon kept the thought in the back of his head as he remembered the falling ceiling.

"We have to go!" he yelled. He grabbed Claire's hand and lead her up the pile of rocks and to the surface, not even realizing he ran on top of Van's grave.

Leon and Claire both emerged from the hole in the ground. They were in the middle of a street, bloody and broken buildings standing all around them. The moon was settling peacefully in the West on the night sky. It was almost morning. Leon remembered this scene very clearly. He thought about the merchant and that man in the white boxers. The other survivors were standing in a group near them. The Tyrants stood lined on the other side of the hole. There was very few of them now, probably about 7 of them. The majority of them were crushed beneath the city. The rumbling ceased as Leon and Claire made their way to the other survivors. Link was the first one to see them.

"Leon! Claire! You're okay!" he said. Leon rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah we were lucky to make it out of there," he replied. Lucario kept his eyes focused on the monsters on the other side of the pit.

"It's not over yet," said Samus, "those things are still over there." Leon looked at the Tyrants staring back at them. "What are they waiting for?" Claire noticed Todd sitting on the ground with his head down.

"Todd? You okay?" she asked. Todd looked at her, as few tears on his face.

"Van..." he said, but that's all he could say.

"Van?" she replied. She looked about the group. There was 10 of them altogether, but not one of them bearing the name of 'Van'. She gasped. "Van's... dead?..." Todd nodded slowly.

"He got crushed by the falling rocks down there. And it's all my fault!" he cried as more tears fell down his face. Leon lowered his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Private Valchev of the Umbrella Retrieval Unit dead? It was unheard of! He looked over at the monsters waiting patiently for them. Leon tried to change the subject.

"Why are those things waiting for us? Why don't they come over here and get us while we're tired?" he asked. Ike grasped his sword tightly.

"Maybe they're waiting for us to come to them?" he said. Leon shook his head.

"Why would we go over there when we could just turn around and leave the city?" Link's ears pricked at the sound of moaning.

"There are zombies out here!" he shouted. Leon looked about the city streets. Besides the Tyrants, not one zombie could be seen. All the buildings were painted with red, as well as some vehicles and the cement. Was there a battle here? This question was soon answered when bodies started to rise from the ground. People in green uniforms were standing up and walking clumsily towards the survivors. Leon cursed.

"Zombies! Behind us!" Ness stepped back but realized that there was a pit next to him so he stopped. Samus eyed the approaching zombies and the Tyrants on the other side.

"_This is what they were waiting for! They want us to choose our fate_!" she thought. Link looked at the large hole in the ground. There was no way they were going back down there.

"We have to fight!" said Link. Lucario closed his eyes.

"There's too many of them! I'm sensing monsters from all over the city moving to our position! We must be the only ones left!" he shouted. The thought of being the last few survivors gave Todd a shiver down his spine. Snake rubbed his chin.

"So what now?" he asked calmly. The zombies were growing in the numbers as they approached.

"This way!" said Samus as she jumped over the huge hole and landed on the other side with the Tyrants. The Tyrants did not move, but continued to wait patiently. She anticipated this. "Their waiting for us to come to them!" she hollered over the moaning. Link understood what she meant.

"_They're waiting for us to fight them_!" he thought. Link jumped over the large hole, but didn't make it all the way. He grabbed the edge and Samus helped him up. Link looked at the Tyrants who just stared back at him.

"Come on!" he shouted. Lucario and Ness got a running start before jumping over the edge. Snake looked over the edge of the dark hole.

"There's no way I'll be able to jump that!" he said.

"Don't worry, I'll get us across," replied Zelda. She used Farore's Wind to carry herself, Ike, Snake and Todd over to the other side. Leon and Claire were the only ones left. He looked at the zombies which were less than 20 feet away. They were climbing around cars and obstacles, just to get at that warm, tasty flesh. This scene, along with the bloody buildings reminded Leon of a dream he had, but the memory was vivid. Leon leaped over the hole and landed on the other side.

"Claire, come on!" he shouted. Claire didn't move. She just stared down the hole.

"I can't jump over it! It's too far!" she shouted back. Leon cursed as he looked at the Tyrants behind his back. They weren't going to do anything unless they were all on the other side. Leon looked back at Claire as the zombies approached her from behind. Leon's memories came back like a bullet. He remembered seeing Claire being eaten by zombies, his severed head, the chainsaw... Leon snapped back into reality.

"Not this time." He jumped back across the hole to Claire.

"Leon be careful!" shouted Link from the other side.

"Leon..." said Claire. Leon glanced at the monsters before getting low and cupping his hands.

"I'll give you a boost! Hurry!" he shouted. Claire nodded and put her foot on Leon's make-shift catapult. Leon used all his strength to lob Claire over the hole. Link and Samus caught her on the other side.

"Let's go Leon!" shouted Link. Leon took a few steps back to give him a running start. As he was about to run, he felt something grab his foot. He looked down to see a zombie wearing a brown, blood stained vest on the ground trying to bite into his foot. Leon kicked it off of him and resumed his run.

"_Something about that zombie... seemed utterly familiar..._" he thought as he leaped over the pit and onto the other side again. Link gave him a pat on the back.

"Good job," he said. Leon coughed.

"Thanks." The zombies, attempted to climb around the large hole to get to the other side, but only ended up falling in. Lucario tore his attention away from the zombies.

"_We don't have to worry about them anymore_." The Tyrants were breathing heavily in front of them. The survivors stared up at them.

"What are they doing?" asked Ness quietly.

There was silence for awhile until the Tyrants all chanted at once, "DESTROY... INTRUDERS!"

Link drew his sword and stepped into the middle between the two groups. "You want to fight us!?" he shouted. One Tyrant stepped out of the group and confronted Link in the centre.

"DESTROY!" it growled. Link swung his sword around.

"_So this is how they want to play? 7 of them and 10 of us. A fight to the death, 1 on 1_," thought Link as he stared into the dead eyes of the Hybrid. The Tyrant swung it's chain around to intimidate the Hylian. Link clenched his teeth as he wished that Navi was with him, fighting by his side. Does this monster even have a weak point?

"Link!" called Leon from behind. Link turned to his comrade.

"Hmm?"

"This thing has been infected with both the T-Virus and the Plagas. This makes it super strong, but the Plagas gives it a weakness. Look for a parasite on it's back!" Link nodded. This advice is going to be useful.

"Please be careful, Link!" said Samus. Link winked at her.

"_No way I'm going down tonight,"_ thought Link as he faced his enemy again. Link clanged his sword on the hard cement and glared at his enemy. The Tyrant roared loudly as it charged to Link. Link dodged out of the way. The Tyrant stopped just before it hit the other smashers. "_So, this thing only wants to kill me_?" thought Link. The Hybrid threw it's long chain at Link, but he blocked it. Link pulled out his bow and started firing off arrows as fast as he could. He managed to get 6 arrows into the Tyrants chest before it got close enough to hit him. Link was sent flying across the street. The smashers gasped.

"Link!" cried Samus.

"I'm okay!" said Link as he brought himself back to his feet. He jumped back into the centre with the Tyrant. They started pacing in a circle, each one not taking it's eyes off the other. The Hybrid reeled back and stampeded towards Link. Link dodged out of the way again, this time getting a glimpse of the parasite on it's back.

"_There it is_!" Link ran to the Tyrant which stopped and was in the middle of turning around. He jumped up onto it's back and stabbed it's Plagas with the Master Sword. The creature cried as the light energy surged through it's body. The Tyrant collapsed on the ground and Link retrieved his weapon.

"And that's a wrap," he said. All the survivors cheered and Samus ran over and hugged him.

"You did it!" she said. Link smiled.

"I barely managed to beat it," Link replied modestly. He walked back to the group who congratulated him on his victory. Samus turned around to see another Tyrant step out of the group.

It was her turn to fight. The Tyrant roared as it looked at it's fallen comrade. The angry monster charged at Samus, but she roll dodged to the side just like Link. She fired off rockets at the Tyrant's parasite on it's back. The pain was excruciating as the monster gave out one last cry and fell to the ground, dead. She gave a surprised look under her mask.

"That was easy," she said. "Why didn't I do that when we were underground?" She went back to the group who looked just as surprised as she was.

"How the hell did you manage to take that thing down so quickly!?" shouted Snake. Samus patted her arm cannon as a response.

"Who's next?" she asked. Ike stepped forward, Ragnell in hand.

"I'll teach these things who their dealing with," he said. Zelda wanted to hold him back, but she had no choice. This was something that couldn't be avoided. Samus remembered about Falco and she pulled out her communicator. She typed in some numbers and waited for a response. Falco did not pick up.

"Falco, come in," she said. Falco made no reply. "_Shit_." Samus checked her suits energy level. It was at 22%. Not good. Her suit was only going to last her about another half hour. Had she had access to her ship, she could have recharged her suits power gauge, but now that was impossible. Ike swung his heavy sword around professionally as another Tyrant came into the middle. It roared the same as the previous two.

"You really think you can beat me?" taunted Ike. The Hybrid replied with a growl as it threw it's chain at Ike. Ike dodged to the right and cut the chain in half with his sword. The broken chain fell onto the cold ground. Ike smirked. "Come on, let's dance." The Tyrant charged at him. Ike ran to the monster too. The Tyrant swung it's huge hand at Ike, but he countered with his sword. He used all his strength to drive the sword through the monster's arm as it fell to the ground. The Hybrid staggered back in pain. Ike laughed. "Is that all you got!?" Ike ran up and sliced off one of it's legs. His sword was painted in green blood. The Hybrid fell on the ground in pain, it's siblings doing nothing but watching from the sidelines. Ike continued slashing at the Tyrant, cutting off as many limbs as he could. "Yeah! You like that! Have some more! Take this! HAHA!!" The survivors were feeling uncomfortable. Claire put a hand up to her mouth.

"What's wrong with him!? Can't he see that it's dead already!?" she shouted. Ike continued his gory assault, his chest bathed in green chemicals. Some of it also got in his mouth, but he spat it out quickly.

"Tired yet!? TIRED YET?!?" he shouted. Zelda couldn't believe what she was seeing. Has he lost his mind? He was just fine a few minutes ago. Why the sudden change in attitude.

"Ike stop!" she yelled. Ike didn't listen but continued to cut into the dead flesh, each attack more deadly than the last. Zelda couldn't handle it anymore. She ran into the circle to stop this massacre. One of the Hybrids blocked her off from the battle. She was breaking the rules. "Get out of my way!" she yelled. Lucario ran over to her and brought her back to the group.

"You can't interfere. We don't need those things getting any angrier than they already are," he said. Zelda nodded as she resumed watching the slaughter. Ike's assault continued for three more minutes until there was nothing left of the Tyrant but green blood and small chunks of flesh. Ike was breathing heavily, his sword leaning on the ground.

"Who's next?" he asked. His entire body was painted green from the bloodbath, but he didn't care. Revenge was the only thing on his mind. Revenge for what these creatures did. What they were and what they are. Ike gritted his teeth. "Come on! Fight me!" he shouted at the small group of Hybrids. The Tyrants did not move, but stood there and watched him. Ike lost his patience. He ran to the group with his sword, ready to perform his aether.

"Ike no!" shouted Zelda.

"That idiot!" said Snake. Ike jumped up high and prepared to bring it down on one of the closest Tyrants. Before he could connect, another Tyrant threw a punch at Ike while he was in mid-air. Ike flew back to the group of survivors. Link and Lucario helped him up.

"Ike! What are you doing!? Don't provoke those things!" said Samus. Another Tyrant stepped into the middle, and stood in the green blood. Ike calmed himself and relaxed.

"Let's just finish this so we can go home," said Snake as he stepped into the centre. He ran up to the Tyrant and performed a series of kicks to it's face. The Hybrid staggered backwards. Snake jumped onto its shoulders as it was stunned. He saw the parasite in it's back and grabbed it. He pulled on it with all it's might. With a few yanks, the red parasite let go of the monster. The Tyrant fell ot the ground and died and Snake landed safely on the ground, virus in hand. "New record," he said to Samus. Samus rolled her eyes. Snake felt the parasite moving in his hands. It was trying to bite at him. Snake threw the thing on the ground and stomped it to death. The virus stopped squirming. "Nothing I can't handle," he said after a deep breath. He returned to the group and Leon stepped out.

"Guess I'm up now," he said. The fifth Hybrid entered the make-shift ring and huffed heavily. It's chains dangling on it's wrists. Leon drew his knife. He only had one shot, so he had to make sure he was aiming precisely. The Tyrant charged to Leon. He dodged out of the way and threw his weapon into the parasite on it's back. The Tyrant fell to the ground with a loud crash. Leon brushed his dirty hair out of his face. "No problem," he said as he retireved his knife. Link gave him a pat on the back.

"Nice," he said.

"Thanks," replied Leon. Lucario opened his eyes. No one had noticed that his eyes have been closed the whole time they've been here.

"I'll take the next one," he said. Lucario entered the ring as well as the sixth Hybrid Tyrant. They stared at each other for awhile before doing anything. Lucario charged his Aura Sphere as quickly as he could. The Tyrant launched its chain at the Pokemon. It latched his leg and Lucario was pulled in to the monster. Lucario shot his aura into the mouth of the Tyrant. It dropped him and he ran to a safe distance. Lucario fired his Aura Sphere at it and it hit the Hybrid in the face. The Hybrid cried as it fell forward. Lucario jumped onto it's back. "Force Palm!" he shouted as he struck the parasite with an aura blast. The monster cried one last time before silencing. Lucario ran back to the survivors. "One more," he said. The last Tyrant stepped into the centre.

"Who will fight it?" asked Lucario. Ness raised his hand.

"I will!" he said.

"No you won't, it's too dangerous for you," said Zelda.

"This cities too dangerous for me!" replied Ness.

"I could fight it if you want," said Claire. Leon held her back. He didn't need her to get herself killed.

"Wait, where's Todd?" asked Link. Everyone looked around, but Todd was nowhere in the group. Ness noticed a man walk into the ring with the Tyrant.

"There he is!" said Ness. Everyone turned to see Todd standing face to face with the monster. His knees were shaking.

"Todd! Get out of there!" said Leon. Todd did not answer.

"_I'm gonna be helpful! I will not let Van's death be in vain! I will fight_!" he thought to himself.

"We gotta get him out of there before he kills himself!" said Leon.

"We can't, we wouldn't be following the rules of the battle," replied Samus. Todd held up his shaky fists to the Hybrid. It appeared to laugh as it peered down at him. Todd looked into the red eyes of death.

"_Oh God I'm gonna die here_!" he thought. The Tyrant brought it's fist up, ready to crush Todd into the cement. Todd slammed his eyes shut.

"_I'm sorry Van_!"

Suddenly a loud gunshot was heard. Todd opened his eyes as time seemed to slow. The Tyrant was standing before him, a dazed look in it's eyes. It stood still as green blood trickled down it's forehead and all over it's face. It stood there for a few seconds before time returned to normal. The final bio-soldier fell backwards on the dark, cold street.

Leon Kennedy was holding a smoking magnum in the background.


	17. The Dark

Into the Dark

**Author's Note:** Thank you Clear Blue for informing me that Navi is in fact a girl and not a boy. Yeah I guess she does sound like a girl in the actual game. Oh yeah, Clear Blue, about Ike's out burst last chapter, he just went crazy after undergoing a lot of stress in the city. He'll be back to normal this chapter so don't worry. ScriptLord wants to see some more smashers, but at this point, don't expect any new smash bros character to come in until the end. As for you SG-Kai, I'm glad that you're always commenting on all my Resident Evil related writing and none of my Smash Bros stuff. At least someone's played Resident Evil, sheesh.

Chapter 17: The Dark

Time Remaining: 1 hour 32 minutes.

Todd blinked a few times before staring at the ground.

"_I've failed. Twice now I've tried to help, but only ended up getting in the way..._" he thought to himself. "_Maybe I'm just wasting their time._" Leon lowered his weapon and closed his eyes.

"Todd, don't do that again. You'll only end up getting yourself killed," he said. Leon holstered his magnum, knowing that he had used up his last bullet to save Todd's ass. Snake recognized Leon's gun instantly, but kept it to himself.

"I'm...sorry guys. I shouldn't have rushed in like that," said Todd as he slowly got to his feet. There was silence for awhile. The group of survivors stared at the outcast surrounded by green Tyrant blood. Link looked at his reflection in his sword again and sighed.

"_Who are you?_" he thought as he stared at the bloody Hylian in the sword. The Hylian did not respond, but continued to stare back at Link with tired eyes. Eyes that witnessed death and evil more than one should see in their lifetime. No wonder he was tired. Link clanged his sword on the ground lightly to break the silence. The moaning of the undead could still be heard in the background. Zombies were still falling into the hole, trying to reach the survivors but to no avail. Samus was getting sick of this place.

"We shouldn't stay here long. We need to leave," she said.

"No," replied a voice. Everyone turned to Ike who was leaning on his sword. There was blood on his bare chest and his pants were so red, that there was barely and blue on it. He breathed deeply before continuing. "We need to finish this fight," he said. All the survivors gave a confused look. If the Hybrids were destroyed, why did he want to stay here? Zelda held his hand lightly.

"Why, Ike?" she asked.

"That guy could still be alive. He could be under the city and plotting our downfall right now," he replied. Leon cocked his head to the side.

"Orlow? He's dead. He got buried down there when the ceiling collapsed," he said. Leon looked at the zombies falling into the hole and then turned back to Ike. "He's dead without a doubt." Ike clenched his teeth and gave a dark glare at Leon.

"He's alive," he said, refusing to give in. Ike prepared himself for an assault. No way he was going to trust this 'American'. Who was he to him? Ike was a certified Smash Brother. One of the greatest fighters in the world. And he was being told off by this commoner? Ike kicked a stone on the ground. "We can't leave until he dies. Otherwise, we put the whole world at risk of being infected with the virus," Ike continued.

"What difference does it make if he's alive or not? He going to be killed by the missile anyway," said Samus.

"We don't know that for sure! He could find a way to escape the city!" shouted Ike.

"Well that doesn't give us a right to risk our lives!" responded Leon followed by a cough.

"We have no choice!"

"Yes we do! Escape has been the priority from the very beginning! Have you lost your mind!?" Ike couldn't take it anymore. He lifted his heavy sword and pointed it at Leon. Everyone gasped. Ness stumbled backward a step. Leon did not flinch at all.

"I'm perfectly sane," replied Ike with a small smile. Zelda couldn't believe what she was seeing. This wasn't Ike at all. Could it be that he's been infected with the virus too?

"You wouldn't," said Leon. Ike tilted his head to the side before saying,

"I would. I promise." Zelda could tell from Ike's eyes that he meant it. If she didn't do something, Ike was going to kill Leon. Zelda stepped in front of Ike to block his view of Leon.

"Ike! Stop it!" she yelled. Ike was about to shove her out of the way until he saw her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes. A tear fell from her eye and onto the dead street. Ike started to trembled at the knees.

"_I'm...a monster..._" he thought. Ike dropped his sword on the ground and collapsed into Zelda's warm arms. He was surprised that she hugged him regardless of the fact he was covered in green blood. He hugged her tightly back, afraid to let go. "_They all hate me now! What have I done!?_" Ike felt a tear roll down his face as he and Zelda embraced. She smelt so wonderful.

Everything seemed to disappear. The city, the zombies, even the other survivors. All gone. All that was left was him and his princess. It wasn't until Ike opened his eyes that he remembered where he was.

"Ike, it's okay," said Zelda. Ike did not respond. He saw Leon look at him and he quickly averted his eyes. "We're going to get out of here. We're going back home. Back to the mansion. Back to where we belong. But we can't, unless you come with us." Ike felt more tears rush down his face as he heard these words. She really did care about him, even after he was acting like a jerk. She still loved him.

"Thank you," whispered Ike into her ear. Snake was getting sick of this scene and brought his attention back to the zombies behind him.

"_They're so stupid,_" he thought, "_falling into the hole. They probably don't even know it's there._" Ike let go of Zelda and wiped his face with the back of his hand. Zelda looked up at him.

"Well...what do you say?" she asked. Ike didn't know what to say until he nodded.

"Alright," he replied. Snake turned back to the group.

"As touching as this is, need I remind everybody that those things are right over there. Not to mention the fact that this whole damn place is gonna blow in a couple hours," he said calmly. Everyone nodded. Todd walked back to the group and confronted Link.

"Sorry," he said. Link put an hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, let's just get out of here," he replied. Samus gave Link a warm smile under her helmet.

"_Yes, let's,_" she thought. She took a step, but Snake put his hand up to stop her.

"Shh! Link, do you hear that?" he asked. Everyone looked at Link as he put a hand to his ear. The sound was subtle at first, but slowly, it got louder and more distinct with each passing second.

"There's something down there," said Link as he pointed at the hole they all came out of. Lucario put up his paws and focused his aura. Something was down there. And it's aura level was incredibly high. But what could it be?

"He's right," responded Lucario. "It's big." Everyone heard rumbling coming out from the hole. Zombies still continued to fall into the darkness. Leon cursed.

"There's no way. It can't be," he said. Ike made no reaction to the sound.

Claire got close to Leon for safety. Snake backed away from the darkness. Something was coming.

"Everybody down!" he shouted as he pulled the nearest person, Link, to the ground. There was a huge explosion as red blood erupted from the large pit. It sprayed over 50 feet high into the air and rained down on the survivors. Link nearly choked as a large quantity got into his mouth as he was on the ground. He quickly spat it out.

"Blood!?"

The cry of a monster came from the hole. The survivors got to their feet and Snake went back over to investigate the hole. Still nothing but blackness.

"What was that?" asked Claire nervously. Leon shook his head and blood flew out of his loose hair.

"I don't know. Where did all that blood come from?" he replied. Snake's eyes got wide as he saw what was coming.

"Shit! It's huge!" Snake jumped back as a huge claw reached out of the hole and tried to grab him. Ike picked up his sword and stared at the large claw.

"He's back," said Ike between his teeth. A second claw rose from the hole and tried to grab Samus. She rolled out of the way and the claw struck the ground where she was standing. The claw retracted and joined the other one above the hole. All the survivors stepped back a few to get a better look at their new enemy.

"This is nuts," said Snake, "what the hell is it?!" The claws swayed back and forth. They were huge and had long arms attached to them. One of them came down towards Ness. Ness dodged but bumped into Link in the process. The claw struck the ground again and retreated back to it's partner. Link stumbled when Ness ran into him.

"Hey careful!" he said.

"Sorry," replied Ness.

"It's okay- Watch out!" Link grabbed Ness and leaped out of the way from another claw attack. He landed safely near a parked car and put down Ness.

"Thanks," said Ness.

"No problem," replied Link. Leon cursed again as he dodged another low flying claw.

"I'm getting sick of this!" he said when he regained his footing. There was a high pitched cry as the claw hid back into the hole. The other one followed it. Leon inhaled deeply.

"_What the hell was that thing?_" Todd ran up to him.

"You okay?" he asked. Leon seemed surprised Todd wasn't upset after he saved his life awhile back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That thing. It took me by surprise," he replied.

"Told you he was alive," said Ike who was standing a few metres away with Zelda.

"No he's not!" scoffed Leon. Another rumbling sound was heard. Ness lost his footing and fell over, but Link helped him up. He almost lost his balance in the process. Lucario braced himself.

"Here it comes again!" he shouted. The two claws sprung back out of the ground. Soon, a large body emerged from the ground as the claws grew higher and higher.

A man in a torn blue robe rose from the grave. His arms were now mutated into two huge claws which slithered about in the air. He pulled himself up in front of the survivors. Leon's eyes got wide.

"No," he choked. Orlow had his head down but his long claws floated about in the air.

"You...killed them," he started. Leon took a step back as Ike pulled his sword in front of him. "You killed them all. My precious soldiers. My pets. They're gone now," said Orlow. Link drew his sword. "My plan. My destiny. Ruined beneath the city. And by who?" Orlow shot his left claw towards Leon. It latched onto his chest and held him against a building. Leon couldn't even react because the pain was too great. He never anticipated his arms being able to change in length.

"Leon!" cried Claire.

"Silence!" yelled Orlow. "You! Who do you think you are!? Foreigners from some land I've never heard of?!" Orlow's claw clenched around Leon's torso.

"ARGH!" cried Leon as blood spurted out of his mouth.

"Leon no!" cried Claire as she ran to help her friend. She grabbed the claw that bound Leon to the wall. She pulled with all her might, but the claw would not budge. Leon held back the pain by biting his tongue. "Somebody help me!" screamed Claire.

Link reacted to her call and he jumped up high in the air. He came down with his sword on top of the arm that held Leon. It created a large scar as Link was splashed with blood. The monster screeched as it let go of Leon. Leon fell to the ground, blood pouring out of his chest. Claire knelt next to her fallen friend.

"Leon!" Orlow brought his wounded claw back to him.

"You don't know what we've been through! The pain we've endured! We will finish what Lord Saddler failed to accomplish! We are the Los Illuminados!" he cried.

His body exploded in a mass of blood and splattered everyone near him. Everyone had to shield their eyes except Samus who just wiped the blood off her visor. The sight she witnessed made her wish she hadn't.

Orlow's body was growing. Not just growing, but mutating. Large insect-like claws and legs sprouted from his sides. His robe fell off to reveal a large, red eye in the centre of his chest. His leg's grew to three times their regular size. Before their eyes, Orlow was literally getting bigger and more ferocious with each passing second. His entire body was red and dripping blood. His head had folded back into his body so that the only form of face he had was the giant eyeball. His claws flung around like balloons that were losing air. After his transformation, Orlow stood nearly 20 feet in height. Although he had no mouth at this point, Orlow could speak, but his voice was now different.

"Behold my true form! The creator of the Los Plagas! The spreader of the T-Virus! I AM THE DARK!" screeched the tainted voice that once belonged to Drazn Orlow. All the smashers flinched at the horrible sound. For the first time since he's been in the city, Link actually felt afraid. Was the Triforce of Courage starting to wear off or was it? Link felt the fear of the dark creep up behind him and tap him on the shoulder. He flinched but quickly regained control of himself.

"You're a monster!" shouted Samus from behind Link. Link glanced at Leon and Claire.

"_He's beat up pretty bad. We're going to have to worry about this thing ourselves_," he thought.

"Todd go over there. See if you can do anything for them," said Link as he gestured toward Leon. Todd nodded before looking at the monster one last time and running over to the wounded human. Link brought his attention back to Orlow.

"You are the dark? The evil that has plagued this city? The one who killed all these innocent people? And for what? Revenge?" said Link in a serious tone. The memory of John's face blew through his head. Orlow gave a loud, evil laugh.

"Yes, it's all true! It was my idea to spread the Plagas all over Spain! My labour that brought us the T-Virus! My cunning that fused them together and my wits that enslaved the city! Saddler had nothing to do with it!" he screeched. All the smashers ignored that last sentence. Not one of them knew who Osmund Saddler was, and frankly, none of them seemed to care. Samus pointed a metallic finger at Orlow.

"But we killed your bio-soldiers! There is nothing left but a bunch of mindless zombies!" she said. Orlow laughed again.

"You think that just because you scum murdered my minions, you think that it's all over for me!? Ha! The power of the T-Virus and Plagas still flows through my veins! Before the sun rises in the east, I will make sure each and everyone of you are all dead!"

"What about the government missile? All your soldiers would have been destroyed anyway!"

"Fools! I already knew about the missile! You think something as simple as a nuclear bomb could destroy me!? We would have been out of the city an hour ago if you pests hadn't interfered!" Link winced at this.

"_He already knew about the missile? Then he's been one step ahead of us the whole time_!" he thought. Orlow's eye glanced around at the 7 smashers, trying to locate the weakest one. It immediately noticed Ness and kept it's focus on him.

"But that's all in the past now! NOW YOU DIE!" he screeched as he launched one of his claws at Ness. Ness didn't react quick enough as he soon found himself being lifted up high in the air and being crushed alive between the two pincers.

"AAHHHH!!!" he screamed.

"Ness no!" said Samus. She brought up her cannon to fire at Orlow, but he used his other claw to knock her off her feet. Blood could be seen coming out of Ness' chest. His small body couldn't hold for very much longer. Snake cursed.

"Hang on Ness! Ike, with me!" he said. Ike nodded and joined Snake as they both ran up to Orlow. Orlow's free claw came down at them to block them. Ike slashed it away and Snake managed to slide underneath without being grabbed. Snake jumped up off of Orlow's body and grabbed the high claw that bound Ness.

"Link! A little help here!" he cried. Link pulled out his bow and fired off arrows at the claw, making sure not to hit Ness. The arrows caused the claw to lower itself and Snake managed to climb on top of it. He slammed his fists into the hard limb. It opened and Ness fell out of Orlow's clutches. "Someone catch him!" said Snake. Luckily, Lucario was close by and he caught Ness' bleeding body.

"Ness..." Orlow threw Snake off of him and he landed back with the other smashers. Ike rejoined the group. Orlow was laughing.

"How pathetic. You would all sooner risk your own lives trying to save one person than fleeing into the city to save your own. Who are you people?" he asked. Orlow seemed rather calm, regardless of the situation he was in. Link and Samus stepped forward from the group. Lucario gave Ness to Zelda to see if she could do anything to heal him. Link holstered his bow and cleared his throat.

"My name is Link."

"And I am Samus." Orlow's eye examined the two of them. He could tell by just looking at them that they were the leaders of the group. It made him think that killing them first would lower the morality of the others, but he kept that in the back of his mind.

"What peculiar names you both have. I have never seen anything like you. But you both must be very excellent fighters if you were able to take down my Tyrants," said Orlow. Link and Samus looked at each other without saying anything. "I have a proposition for you. I will spare your lives if you swear allegiance to me and my cause. You will all be able to make it out of the city without any problems from my monsters. Of course, I'll have to kill Mr. Kennedy. I can't forgive him for what he did to Saddler," continued Orlow. Link gave a confused look.

"_First he tries to kill us, now he wants to reason with us? What is with this guy_?" he thought.

"No," responded Samus. "We would never join you. We'd be calling ourselves murderers if we did." Orlow laughed this off too.

"Murderers!? You accuse me of murder!? Ha! Look at yourself! Look at them over there!" he said as he pointed to the zombies on the other side of the pit. "They were all once people! People who lived in this city and had lives! What are they now!? Nothing! So you mean to tell me that the whole time you've been in this city, you haven't killed a single one of those things!?" Samus and Link didn't reply. He was right. They were murderers. "What about my monks in the underground?! Didn't you think they all had lives once before!?" he laughed. This made Link realize something. He chuckled to himself. Samus glanced at him a bit confused.

"Link, are you...laughing?" asked Samus. Link nodded and looked up at Orlow.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh nothing," said Link, "it's just that this whole time we've bee here, I've always thought that we were the ones that killed them. Those zombies. But now, after hearing you, I finally understand." Some of the smashers in the back leaned forward a little to hear what Link was going to say. "We didn't kill anyone!" he shouted.

"What!?" said Orlow.

"That's right! We didn't kill a single living thing tonight!"

"That's impossible! You must have killed something, otherwise you'd be dead by now!"

"No Orlow! You killed those people! You infected them with the virus! You took away everything they had! Their homes! Their families! Their friends! Had it not been for you, these residents, and those monks, would all be living their own lives! Not the life of a slave!" Link looked at Samus who gave him a warm smile under her helmet. Orlow stuttered.

"Wh-What?! Th-this is a lie!" he shouted.

"No it's not and you know it!" replied Link. "This gives us every right to kill you right now where you stand!" said Link. Orlow froze for a few seconds before responding.

"I see. Well no matter. I still will not allow any of you to live!" he screeched as two claws came down towards Samus and Link. They both jumped back to the rest of the smashers.

"Link, good job," said Snake. Link gave him a thumbs up and drew his sword.

"Let's do this!" Link, Snake and Ike all charged at Orlow. Zelda remained at the back, trying to keep Ness' bleeding at a minimum.

"Careful you guys!" she cried. Lucario and Samus stood back and charged their weapons.

"Ness won't be able to help us," said Lucario as he finished charging a sphere.

"I know, but it doesn't mean we can't combine ours on our own," replied Samus. Link dodged a low flying claw that nailed Snake in the chest. He flew back and landed on the hood of a parked semi-truck.

"Dammit!" he cursed. Link leaped up and sliced with his sword, but Orlow blocked with his other claw and smacked him to the ground. Ike landed a strike on Orlow's legs, but it didn't seem to be very effective. He landed safely, but Orlow kicked him and he was sent back a few metres. Link recovered and attacked a second time, but Orlow blocked it again. Link retreated back to Samus and Lucario.

"Link, watch it!" said Samus as she and Lucario fired their charged attacks at Orlow. It was a direct hit, but Orlow did not seem at all fazed by it.

"You think a weak attack like that can hurt me!?" he laughed.

"No, but this can!" shouted Ike as he ran up to him a second time. "Aether!" Ike threw his sword up into Orlow's eyeball. The sword spun around at incredible speed and cut at Orlow's vital organ. Blood splattered everywhere. Ike took the opportunity to jump up and receive his sword. He then pulled it down in Orlow's eye and created a huge gash where his pupil was. Orlow screeched in pain as crimson flowed out of his eye. Ike backed away. "Maybe you shouldn't make your weak points so obvious!" taunted Ike.

"Good job Ike!" said Samus. Ike replied with a thumbs up. For some reason, Ike didn't seem all upset anymore.

"_I wonder if he has mood swings_?" thought Link.

"A lucky shot that was! Now I show no mercy!" said Orlow. He waved his claws towards the smashers. Immediately following, a horde of red spears shot out of the end of his claws and right towards the survivors. Link put up his shield quickly.

"Look out!" he cried. He braced himself as the needles hit his metal barrier and fell to the ground. The force of the attack pushed him back a few centimetres, but other than that, he held his ground. When the firing ceased, Link poked his head up from behind the shield.

Ike was off to the side, a large spear implanted right through his chest. He wasn't fast enough. Ike dropped his sword and he fell to the ground.

"Ike! No!" cried Link. Ike closed his eyes slowly on the bloody cement.

"Link..." he muttered before becoming silent.

"Ugh..." said Lucario. Link turned around to see Lucario with two spears in his body; one in his shoulder, the other through his chest.

"_Lucario is usually good at dodging fast attacks. Why is he so slow now? Could he be tired?_" thought Link.

"Link, don't give into... into the dark..." said Lucario before falling to the ground. His blood started to stain the pavement. Link couldn't help but stare at him.

"_Lucario... one of the most strongest fighters...lost to this monster?_" Link immediately turned his attention to Samus. "_She's not hurt is she?_" Samus was in her morph ball form on the ground. Link sighed with relief. She jumped back to her original form and notice her two fallen comrades.

"Ike...Lucario...no..." she said. Link felt her pain. Although he had only just met Ike and Lucario earlier that year, he felt attached to them like they were his brothers. Link felt a tear in his eye but he quickly wiped it away.

"Orlow!" he cried. Orlow only responded with an evil laugh.

"What's wrong, hero!? Did I do something to upset you!? Hahahaha!" he replied. Link gritted his teeth aggressively. Snake ran up next to him.

"Holy shit, that thing was fast," he said. Link didn't look at him but kept his gaze focused on Orlow.

"Snake, we need to do something before he kills us all," muttered Link. Snake didn't seem at all surprised.

"Okay. What's the plan, genius?" Link felt shocked that Snake didn't seem nervous at all.

"Not sure. Ike managed to land a critical hit when he attacked that eyeball. That should be the focus of our assaults." Snake put a hand to his chin and examined the monster. Orlow's eye stared back down at them impatiently.

"You know, it's not too late to surrender. I will spare your lives if we co-operate," said Orlow. Link spat at his words.

"We're not that dumb," he replied. He looked back at Samus who nodded. "We'll attack together," said Link. "With three of us, we should be able to land at least one hit on his weak spot."

"Sounds good. Let's do it," replied Snake. Link took a deep breath before dashing towards the monster. Snake followed and Samus fired one of her rockets. One of Orlow's claws came down on Link, but he dodged to the side and slashed at it. It gave Snake and opening for his eye.

"Change of plans!" said Link. "Give Samus a clear shot!"

"Okay!" Snake jumped on Orlow's other claw to hold it down. The rocket zoomed past them and right into Orlow's eye. More blood burst out of his organ as he screeched. Link and Snake jumped back to the ground.

"Good job Sam!" said Link. Samus gave a thumbs up before she noticed Orlow wave his claws again.

"Link watch out!" Link turned around just in time to see Orlow's primary attack right in front of his face. Link crouched and pulled his shield in front of his face. He felt the metal spears clang against his metal barrier again. He flinched when he heard Snake screaming next to him. Snake had no way to protect himself from the weapons as he got speared right through his shoulder. Snake fell down to the ground in pain. Luckily, he didn't get struck anywhere else. Samus was too far away to get hit again. When the firing ceased, Link raised himself up. He looked down at Snake who was bleeding in his right shoulder. Link's eyes flared with anger. He ran up to Orlow and slashed with his sword, but Orlow threw him back with a swing of his arm. Link landed on his back from the blow. Orlow laughed.

"Are you tired yet?" said Orlow in a mocking tone. Link stood up slowly. He was starting to shake at the knees. He was getting tired after running around in this city for God knows how long. He was also getting sick of Orlow.

"I'll kill you!" cried Link. He charged at Orlow again.

"Link stop! You're not thinking clearly!" cried Samus. Link refused to listen to her and continued with his assault. Again he was thrown back by Orlow's claw.

"You fools! You should never have tried to fight me in the first place! You should have all ran while you still had the chance! Now you will all share the same fate!" Link cursed to himself as he brought himself back to his feet.

"I will avenge you, Ike. Lucario. Snake," said Link. Link charged again, this time yelling a battle cry.

"Have you not learned your lesson human?!" screeched Orlow as he swung at Link and again threw him across the street. "Tell me, what drives you, human? Please, I must know. This is so entertaining to me," taunted Orlow. Link could barely move. He was so tired from the battle that he couldn't even lift himself up.

"Link! Are you okay?" said Samus. Link pushed himself to stand. He could barely hold up his sword and shield.

"I...I'm fine," he replied. He glared at Orlow. "I'm not a human," responded Link. Orlow's eye examined him from top to bottom.

"Not a human? Well your ears are rather different compared to regular people."

"I am a Hylian. And I am driven by the fact that you are evil, and it is my duty as the Hero of Time to send you back to the hell from where you came!" Link rushed him one last time. Orlow brushed off Link's heroic statement like it was a bothersome fly.

"Fool..."

Orlow slammed his claw into Link's chest and squeezed. The Master Sword fell from his hand. Link couldn't even scream as the weapon pierced his body. Blood spurted out from his mouth. Orlow laughed and squeezed tighter.

"Good-bye, young Hylian, Link," said Orlow. Link was lifted high in the air before Orlow launched him at a nearby building.

Link hit the wall and landed on the ground with a thud, his blood dripping onto his shield. The feeling of shock nailed Samus like a bullet.

"Link?..." she said. Orlow continued to laugh like it was nothing.

"The fool should have known better than to think he even had a chance to defeat me," chuckled Orlow. Samus did not look at him, but continued to stare at Link's body. Zelda couldn't even bring the words to react.

"_Link...no..._"

Samus clenched her fist. Her memories of her and the Hylian flashed through her head. She recalled a time when Link had offered her his handkerchief when some jerk thought it was funny to make fun of her, but the memory was blurry. She couldn't help but think about all the good times she and Link spent together. And for what? All to be thrown around by this fiend like a rag doll? No. She wouldn't have any of this shit. She turned to Orlow with fire in her eyes. Orlow continued to laugh.

"This battle is already over! You fools have nothing left! Your fates have all been sealed!" Orlow prepared for his final strike on the smashers.

"NO!" Samus cried. Orlow stopped.

"What?" he asked.

"No," replied Samus.

A strange aura took over Samus' body. Some kind of power with which she was familiar with, but she couldn't remember what it was. It all came clear to her when her body started glowing a golden colour and the warmth of light energy surged through her body. Her energy level was at 100%. She was super charged. Orlow could sense this too.

"What's this!? I feel...a strange presence! But what?! Nothing can overcome the dark!" he cried. Samus smiled under her helmet.

"I can think of one thing." She took aim at Orlow's eye with her glowing cannon. Suddenly, a huge, pulsating blue laser with a radius of 10 metres shot out of her cannon and engulfed Orlow's body. He screeched in pain as the heat melted away his skin.

"But how!? I don't understand!!" The slaughter only lasted for 5 seconds, but it was more than enough time to fry the monster alive. Orlow's eye shrivelled up into nothing until it exploded. His smoking body staggered backwards towards the pit.

"I...AM...THE...DARK...I CANNOT...DIE...WHAT KIND OF POWER COULD BE THAT STRONG?..." he said. Samus' suit was smoking.

"It's called love, jackass."

Orlow fell into the black pit with a loud crash causing some of the buildings near it to collapse and fall on top of him in the hole. Drazn Orlow was now dead. Killed and buried in the very city he thought was his domain. Samus's power suit died away and fell apart at her feet. She stood panting in her zero suit as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"It's over," she said. Zelda couldn't believe what she saw. Samus managed to unleash her Final Smash without the use of a Smash Ball. None of the other smashers could do that, but she...she somehow was able to. Zelda looked down at Ness in her arms. His eyes were closed, but he was still bleeding. She looked back at Samus who was now kneeling next to Link. He was lying against a building, his shield still attached to his hand. His eyes were closed and his tunic was stained red from his blood. She stroked his hair.

"Link..." Link didn't wake up.

"_He can't be gone. Not after all we've been through_," she thought.

She stared at his face for a while. The face that she fell in love with ever since she knew it. A tear rolled down her face as she thought of his voice. His beautiful voice. But now, it was silenced forever. She held his hand and closed her eyes. The Triforce of Courage on his hand was dead. Her heart sank. Samus leaned over and kissed Link lightly on the lips.

"Good-bye...Link..."

She let go of his hand and stood up. She couldn't stay for long. Time was already as short as it was. She began to walk back to Zelda when she heard a cough. Samus wheeled around to see Link coughing on the ground.

"Hey, Samus," he said smiling.

She felt more tears take over her face as she went over to hug the Hylian. Link laughed. It was good to hear his voice again.

"You did it Sam! You saved us all!" he said. Samus couldn't reply. She was just too happy to respond. She helped Link to his feet and they went back to the survivors. Zelda stood up and carried Ness in her arms. Snake and Lucario got to their feet too, the spears now disappearing from their bodies.

"Link! You're alive!" cried Zelda. Link rubbed the back of his head.

"Better believe it," he replied. He suddenly leaned forward as he felt the impact of the last attack. "Ugh, it hurts..." Snake retrieved Link's sword and sheathed it for him.

"Man, you're lucky to be alive," he said. Link took it as a compliment.

"Thanks." The moaning of zombies seemed to slowly disappear into the night sky. Ike slowly got to his feet and grabbed his sword.

"He's dead now. We can all relax," he said. All the smashers stood in silence for a few moments to savour this time of relaxation.

"You guys all got hurt pretty badly. We need to get out of here and get you all to a hospital," said Zelda.

"But how?" asked Claire. Everyone turned to see Claire and Todd walking Leon back to the group. "This city is still crawling with zombies. It's going to be hard to make it out of here by foot." Samus remembered.

"We don't need to walk!" she said. Samus pulled out her communicator on her wrist. "Falco, come in. We need you to come pick us up now. You have my co-ordinates." There was static for awhile before Lombardi's voice could be heard.

"Samus! Is that you?"

"Yes it's me. Falco, what's wrong? You sound worried."

"Samus! Oh thank God! Something's gone horribly wrong!"

"What!? What happened?!" More static for a few seconds. His voice came back all of a sudden.

"It's Fox! If we don't hurry, he's going to die!"


	18. An Old Friend

Into the Dark

Chapter 18: An Old Friend

Time Remaining: 0 hours 45 minutes

Everyone went dead silent. The undead moaning started to pick up again in the dark. Ike shivered. Samus stared at Link who returned the gaze with unsure eyes. Samus brought the communicator up to her mouth again.

"Wait, what do you mean Fox is going to die?" she asked seriously. She inhaled deeply and calmed her mind. They were so close to escape. And yet, after hearing what Falco said, they felt so faraway, so distant from survival. There was some static before Falco's voice returned.

"I don't know! He left a message here on the ship. You're going to have to come here if you want to read it. I suggest you hurry. Time is short as it is."

"Yeah we know. Just get down here as quick as you can."

"Roger that. I'll be there in a few." Samus switched off her communicator and brought her hand to her face. She felt like ice now in the city. Her zero suit didn't offer much protection from the cold. She did her best to ignore it. Snake felt his shoulder.

"Anyone got any of that First Aid Spray stuff on them?" he asked. Everyone shook their heads, except Ness who was in Zelda's arms. Snake could feel his blood leaving his body. He continued to apply pressure as best he could. "Shit, he better get here quick."

Leon coughed. Claire was starting to lose her balance with him in her arms, but Todd helped to even them out. They all stood together and watched the slow moving monsters on the other side of the pit. Link felt awkward in all the silence. They were short on time.

"_If that blast doesn't kill us, the loss of blood will_," thought Link. His legs shook. He was tired. He could barely hold his sword and shield on his back. He felt like taking them off of him and lying down on the ground. "_Man, what a night this has been. Not only did we get trapped in a city full of monsters, but we were almost killed by some maniac. Hopefully, no one else we know is in the same state we are_." Link looked at Ness and shivered. "_Too many of us have been wounded tonight. We need to get Ness to a hospital as quick as possible_." Ike leaned on his sword, blood dripping from his wounds.

"_Don't collapse. Whatever you do, don't collapse_," he kept thinking to himself. Leon's hair dangled from his head. He started losing hope. There was no way he was going to survive this. Not unless Falco gets there quickly. As if on cue, Samus' starship could be seen heading towards them in the distance. Link sighed with relief.

"_Good, here he comes_." The ship touched down a few feet away from the survivors, over the green street. After some flying dust, the main door opened and everyone stepped inside. Todd was the last one to get on as he and Claire dragged Leon's bloody body up the steps. Seeing an actual starship for the first time gave Todd goosebumps, but they quickly went away. He'd believe anything after witnessing the events that happened tonight. The large door closed behind him. He and Claire brought Leon through the metallic room.

On their left, Samus' quarters were a mess. The door had been blown off the entrance. The closet and drawers were all thrown open and various types of clothes and personal items lay scattered on the floor. Todd tore his attention away from the scene and brought it back to the group of survivors. An anthropomorphic bird-like creature was sitting in the pilot's seat and facing everybody. Next to him, a dirty man in a blue trench coat sat in the co-pilot's. Samus confronted the two.

"Thank God you got here on time," said Samus. Falco nodded and examined the group.

"Hey, it's what I do. You guys look pretty beat up," he replied. Samus slapped herself.

"Look, just get out of my seat. Link, open out the sliding beds. There's four of them in the wall over there." Falco obeyed and Samus took her seat. Link went over to the walls and looked for a way to open them.

"How?" he asked. Falco opened one of the compartments for him.

"Like that. Do it for the others." Link followed suit and soon, Ness, Leon, Ike, and Lucario were all lying in the beds.

"There's some healing medicines in the upper compartment up there," said Samus as she pointed to a drawer above Leon's bed. Zelda opened it and she and Claire started working on the wounded survivors. Snake grabbed a large bandage tape and wrapped it around his torso.

"I feel better already," he said sarcastically. Samus wheeled in her chair until she was facing the merchant. She gave him an angry stare. He sat back with a surprised look in his eyes.

"Evenin', strangah. What's eatin' you?" he asked childly. Samus gritted her teeth before pointing at the door to her room. Shards of metal littered the entrance. Her bed was flipped upside down and clothes were everywhere. Her closet was also a mess. The merchant glanced at the scene before replying. "Um...there was a tornado. A huge one. I tried to stop it, but it was too big for me to handle. Sorry about your loss, strangah."

"Nice try. I'll deal with you later. Get out of that seat before I knock that purple scarf off your face." The merchant did as he was told and went back over to Leon and Claire. Link pulled up in the seat next to Samus.

"You okay?" he asked. Samus' evil glare quickly disappeared when she saw the Hylian's face.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. Hey Falco, any word from the others?" Falco turned away from his conversation with Zelda.

"Falcon left a message too. You should pick it up," he replied. Samus remembered about Fox and reached for the control panel in front of her. She pressed some buttons and a large screen appeared on the main viewer.

Fox's image appeared on the screen. He was sitting down and leaning against a metal wall. His arm and his head was bleeding uncontrollably. He winced as he spoke.

"_Samus...something's gone terribly wrong...the survivors, they...one of them went crazy...he shot us...he took...her...there's not much time! You have to get here quickly!_" he choked. The video turned to grey static before shutting off completely. The conscience survivors stared at the blank viewer.

"Fox..." said Link.

"He's in trouble. We have to go find him now!" said Falco. Samus continued to stare into nothing as she thought.

"_How is Fox hurt? Who could have done this? Last time we saw him, he was in his Arwing with those three survivors. There's no way any monster could have got to him. Unless..._" She wheeled in her chair and faced the others.

"Okay, let's go!" she shouted. Suddenly, the ship began to shake violently. Ness nearly fell out of the bed. The merchant fell over but he quickly stood up again.

"Samus! What the hell is that!?" cried Snake.

"I don't know!" she replied. She looked out the main viewer to see a crowd of zombies attempting to climb on top of the ship. "Zombies!" she screamed. Link leaned far back in his seat, trying to get away from the undead monsters.

"Get us out of here!" he shouted. Samus grabbed a lever and pulled hard. The ships main engines turned on and it slowly lifted itself off the ground. Some of the zombies fell off, but some of them dug their claws into the ships hull and held on tight. Samus had to turn on her backup engine in order for the ship to take flight. There was too much weight. One of the zombies pulled itself up in front of the main viewer and tried to bite through the glass. Samus screamed as she looked down the throat of the creature. She did a sharp turn and the zombie flew off. All the survivors that were standing flew into the right wall.

"Hold on to something!" shouted Link.

"Now he frickin' tells us!" replied Snake. Samus fought hard to remain in the seat. She heard the moaning die away as the last few zombies lost their grip. The ship finally leveled out and flew through the city. She leaned back in her seat.

"That was close," she said. "Everyone okay back there?" Snake was crushing Todd beneath his body.

"No," he replied. Samus ignored the comment.

"Sorry, I had no choice. It should be smooth sailing from here on out." Everyone got back up. Claire made her way back to Leon's side. He had his eyes closed with bandages wrapped around his torso and his leg. She stroked his fair hair.

"You're going to be okay," she said. Leon breathed deeply.

"Thanks," he replied.

"Leon...I never got to thank you for saving me back there."

"Aw, it's nothing. Just doing my job."

"I know, but...you could have died trying to save me."

"That was a risk I was willing to take." Claire watched him for a while before giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you."

"Hey strangah! How've you been?" said the merchant as he joined Leon and Claire. Leon sighed.

"Oh no, not you again."

"Yep, now then, let's get down the business. What're you buyin'?" Claire stared at the merchant as he opened his coat to reveal an assortment of weaponry and ammunition.

"_Who the hell is this guy_?" she thought.

"Um, excuse me. He can't buy anything right now. Can't you see that he's tired?" she said. The merchant examined her facial features before replying.

"Hey, I know you! You're the pretty lady that was in strangah's wallet!" he replied happily.

"Pretty lady?"

"Yeah, see, he's got a picture of you in his wallet where he keeps all his cash and stuff. I got to say though, you look way better in the picture than right now. No offense, strangah."

"Really now? What's your name? How does Leon know you?"

"Well, my names not important right now, strangah. What's important is that you make sure _he _stays alive. He is my best customer after all." The merchant closed his coat.

Claire paused for a few moments before reaching into Leon's pocket and pulling out his wallet. Leon made no reaction. He was too tired to move. She opened the small piece of leather to reveal a perfect picture of her standing in front the R.P.D. She paused as she examined the picture. Leon took this picture of her a few years back, after the first outbreak. Seeing this photo brought a tear to her eye. She shuffled through the other pictures. She glanced at the photo of the president's daughter before moving onto the next one. She froze when she saw the last picture. Leon was piggybacking Claire in front of a beautiful maple tree in the Raccoon City Central Park. She remembered this one as well. She smiled as she tucked in back into its place and slid it back into Leon's pocket.

"Enjoy the view?" asked Leon. Claire nodded but realized that Leon's eyes were closed.

"Yeah," she replied. Todd was leaning against the wall a few feet away. He had been listening to the whole conversation from where he stood. Leon and Claire's relationship reminded him of his wife.

"_Linda, I hope you're okay_..." he thought. Todd felt a sharp pain on his nose. A thin line of scabbed blood ran across his bridge. "_A scar? How did this get here_?" Snake walked up to him.

"Hey there, Todd right?" he asked. Todd nodded. He felt a little intimidated by the mercenary.

"Hi," he replied.

"So, how long have you been in the city?"

"I've...I've lived there my whole life. This breakout was just recent, I...never mind." Snake eyed the civilian from top to bottom.

"_Not much of a fighter_..." thought Snake.

"You're from Link's world aren't you?" asked Todd. Snake looked a little surprised.

"Link's world? What do you mean?"

"Um, I don't know. It's just that Link...he's not from here is he. None of you are."

"Well, yeah, there are a handful of us that are not from the city. Tell me, you get outbreaks like this on a daily basis or is this just like another coincidence?"

"I don't know. There was an outbreak about 10 years ago, I think. But I don't remember much. I wasn't here to see it."

"Consider yourself lucky. Anyone could easily go nuts after witnessing the events that occurred in this city."

"So, how did you get here...Snake was it?"

"Yep. Well, to be honest, I can't really remember."

"You don't remember?"

"Kind of. I remember Samus, over there in the skin tight jump suit, getting all upset over something. Link suggested we go out for some relaxation, and the next thing I knew, I was here, running around in the dark with a bunch of freak-shows." Todd paused as he took all this new information in.

"I see..." he said.

"Guys, we're almost there!" said Samus at the front. Link relaxed his body.

"_I sure hope Fox is okay_..." he thought to himself. The starship flew over a bunch of large, burned out buildings. The metal on them had all charred off and left a reddish color behind. Fox's Arwing could be seen next to one.

"There he is!" said Samus. The ship nose dived into the city streets. Samus pulled up in front of the building and killed the engines.

"Fox is out there! Let's go!" Samus opened the main door. "Snake, Link and Falco with me," she commanded. Snake nodded and headed for the door.

"Nice talking to you, Todd," he said. Todd smiled back.

"You too." Link and Samus walked past Leon, Claire and the merchant.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Link. Claire gave a small smile.

"He should be okay for now. We got him here just in time. Just...don't take too long," she replied.

"You sure you don't want to buy any weapons for the trip, strangah?" asked the merchant. Samus gave him a glare and he back off. "Okay, okay."

"We won't be long," said Link. He and Samus joined Falco and Snake and all four of them exited the ship. Samus took a look around. The smell of raw blood and guts lingered through the air. The pavement beneath them was all torn up and cracked. The sound of moaning had somehow disappeared. She examined the building.

"A warehouse," she said. "Just perfect."

"Samus! Over here!" cried Falco. Samus turned to see the Arwing in pieces against the warehouse wall. Falco and Link were staring at it.

"He must have crash landed," said Link.

"Dammit. Where the hell is he?" cursed Falco. As if on cue, Snake hollered at them.

"I found him!" he said. The other three smashers followed Snake around the corner to see Fox lying against the warehouse wall. He was bleeding at the head very badly and squinting.

"About time you guys got here," he coughed.

"Fox! What happened to you!?" said Falco.

"I...I can't say much. Listen closely. One of the survivors went berserk. He crashed landed my ship into this building. He killed one of them. He took her. Inside. You have to save...save her..." he said before closing his eyes. All four smashers gasped. Was he dead? Falco lifted up his bloody body.

"I'll take him inside. I don't think he's dead. Just unconscience. We can save him if we hurry," he said.

"We should get out of here while we can. We're all together now, we shouldn't be wasting any time," replied Snake.

"No," said Link, "we have to go in this warehouse. Something doesn't seem right."

"I agree with Link," responded Samus. "Snake, you and him are going to come with me to investigate."

"You want me to get the others?" asked Falco.

"No, its okay. We'll take it from here. You just make sure he doesn't die." Falco nodded and headed back to the ship with Fox in his arms. "Hey Falco," said Samus. He turned to face them. "If we're not out of there in less than 20 minutes, take off without us." Falco nodded silently and resumed his pace. Link turned his fellow smashers.

"What do you think caused Fox's ship to crash?" he asked.

"I don't know. He said it was one of the survivors," said Samus.

"Whoa," said Snake. Samus and Link raised an eyebrow at his comment.

"What is it?" she asked. Snake pointed to a dead body a few feet away. It was a police officer. He had a bullet wounds all over his chest and his head. A pool of blood circled his body. Samus averted her eyes, but Link continued to stare.

"Hey...he looks familiar...." he said.

"Why are there bullet wounds in his body? What could have shot him?" asked Snake.

"I'm not sure." Suddenly, they heard a scream. It was coming from the warehouse.

"What the hell was that!?" shouted Snake.

"No, he couldn't have..." said Samus.

"What?"

Samus ran around the corner to the front entrance. Link and Snake followed. The screaming continued. It bit at Link's ear drums like a mosquito.

"That voice...it sounds...as if I've heard it before," he said slowly.

"Dammit the doors locked!" cursed Samus. The door refused to open. They seemed to be jammed. Snake stepped in front of her.

"Allow me." He kicked the door hard with his foot and the huge metal doors flew open. The trio stepped in.

The room was dim, but the moonlight helped to light up the room. The screaming stopped. Link, Samus and Snake froze at what they saw. A young girl, probably in her 20's, was tied to a chair in the centre of the room. Her clothes were torn and her hair was a mess. A dark figure was behind her and was holding a knife to her throat. All around them, piles and stacks of metal crates filled the sides and corners of the room. The dark figure was breathing heavily and staring at the intruders.

"You...You came back...after all this time...I thought you were dead...but...now..." he said. His voice was raspy, but Samus, Link and Snake recognized it instantly.

"What!? Mike?!" shouted Samus. Mike removed the knife from Dana's jugular area and stepped in front of her into the light. His arm was bleeding very badly as well as his neck. He was hunched over and swaying back and forth.

"How?...How does it make sense? You should be dead! I saw you die! I killed you!" cried Mike. He was pointing his knife directly at Snake.

"Um, do I know you?" asked Snake. Link's memories shot back at him like a bullet.

"Wait, you were supposed to be evacuated hours ago!" said Link. Samus ignored Link's remark.

"You were the one who crashed the Arwing!" she said. Mike chuckled.

"If you're talking about that ship out there, then yes, I did crash it...I did it all...I killed the cop...I shot the fox monster...I saved Dana..." he said as he turned around to face his hostage. Dana was crying in her seat.

"Mike...stop..." she pleaded.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from these freaks," he replied.

"You did all that?! Are you insane?!" cried Samus. Mike fiddled with the blade in his hand.

"No, I'm perfectly fine. I was just having a little chat with a very good friend of mine. He told me that you guys would come back to take Dana away from me. That's why I brought her here. To hide her from you creatures. But you managed to find us. So now I'm going to have to kill you." Snake rubbed his chin and examined the crazed doctor for a while.

"Oh now I remember! You're that son of a bitch who left me to get eaten by those zombies!" he said. Snake cracked his knuckles. "I owe you world of pain!" Mike laughed it off.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you survived that. But, I can't say I'm not a murderer. After all, I did kill that cop."

"James..." said Dana quietly.

"Mike, just step away from the girl. We're not going to hurt you," said Link as he walked towards him cautiously.

"Like hell we're not going to hurt him!" shouted Snake. Mike pointed the bloody dagger at Link.

"You stay back! I'm warning you!" he cried. Samus noticed Mike's arm start to bleed more. He was losing blood fast. She saw the gash on his neck start to pulsate.

"Mike, what happened to your neck?" asked Samus calmly.

"Wouldn't you like to know. I was bitten by one of those freaks outside. It hurts, but I can't break down now. I've come too far to die! I will not let you hurt Dana!"

"We don't want to hurt her!" said Link.

"Mike, I hate to tell you this, but this city is going to be nuked in less than half an hour. If you come with us, we can all escape safely," said Samus.

"You're lying! All of you! You want to kill me!" cried Mike.

"Of course we do!" replied Snake.

"Snake, you're not helping here!" said Samus. Suddenly, Mike coughed out blood from his mouth. He dropped his dagger on the ground and collapsed.

"Ugh...it hurts..." he said as he held the wound on his neck. Link took a step to help him, but Samus held him back.

"Wait! Look!" The doctor was twitching and squirming on the ground. He started spazzing out violently. His eyes were changing from a pale white to a pitch red and his skin was turning a sickly brown color as it peeled off his body. "We can't help him. He's been infected," said Samus. Dana was crying as she witnessed this gruesome transformation. Mike's voice was deep and cracked. He could barely speak properly.

"You...wan...oo...kill...meee..." he moaned. Mike clawed at the ground, trying to escape the pain. It struck him repeatedly as he cried. He looked up at Snake's face as he froze. "Murderer..." Mike lowered his head and died. Link sighed with relief.

"_Well, at least she didn't get hurt..._" he thought.

"Mike...no..." cried Dana.

"Hold on, we'll get you out of here," said Samus as she ran to Dana. Link stirred uneasily on the spot.

"_Something doesn't seem right..._" he thought. He looked at Snake who was staring at Mike's corpse.

"Wait, if he's infected, wouldn't that mean he's...a zombie?" Samus felt a cold hand grab her leg. She looked down to see Michael Syvone's crippled face staring up at her with red eyes, his hand wrapped securely around her ankle. A dead moaning sound was slithering out of his mouth.

"Die..." he moaned. Samus jumped at the sight of him. Mike opened his mouth wide and brought it close to her leg, preparing to bite into it. Samus quickly used her free foot to kick him in the face. Mike let go of her and she staggered back towards Dana.

"He's one of them now," she said. Dana was still crying.

"He can't be gone!" she cried.

"Shit," muttered Snake as he saw the zombie rise from the ground and stumble towards him and Link. Mike was slow at walking and had his arms out stretched, as if he wanted to hug the two survivors. "There's no way I'm getting close to that thing," said Snake. Link drew his sword.

"Alright, let me," he replied. Link ran up to the zombie and stabbed it in the chest. Mike absorbed the blow and stood still for a moment. Link pulled his sword out of the zombie and backed off. Mike continued his slow assault. "Crap, its not dead yet," said Link. Link pulled out his bow and fired off his remaining arrows at the zombie's chest. After 9 consecutive hits, Mike fell to the ground, a pool of blood encircling his body. Link holstered his weapon and wiped the sweat from his head.

"We're done here," he said. Samus had already untied Dana from the chair. She was shaking at the knees and holding on to Samus tightly.

"Why did he tie you up like that?" asked Samus. Dana responded by shaking her head. She was too traumatized by the death of her friend to say anything. She was shivering from the cold. Samus faced Link and Snake. "Let's get her out of here," she said. Link and Snake both nodded. They flinched when they heard a low moaning sound come from Mike's corpse.

"What?" said Snake. Mike's body was shuffling on the ground.

"I don't like this..." said Link as he drew out his sword a second time.

Mike's body rose from the ground again, but this time, his skin was pitch red. His eyes were a pale white and his jaw was loosely hanging open. Blood was flowing out of his mouth and onto the floor.

"What the hell happened to him!?" shouted Snake. Link braced himself as he saw long, black claws grow out of Mike's fingernails. Mike stumbled as he regained his balance and stared at the Hylian.

"_Why is he all red? I thought I killed him!_" thought Link. Suddenly, the zombie lunged forward with incredible speed. It was so fast, that Link didn't have time to react. Mike slashed his claws across Link's body. Link cried as he fell to the ground. The pain was too great for him to bear. Dana screamed.

"Samus! Get her out of here! I'll handle this!" shouted Snake as he tackled the crimson head to the ground. Samus hesitated as she watched the mercenary wrestle with the zombie. She looked at Link's bleeding body before tugging on Dana's hand.

"This way! They can deal with it!" she said as she led Dana out the main door. Link just lay on the cold ground.

"_I hope Snake can take that thing!_" he thought. Snake and the zombie rolled about on the ground. He held it's claws back with his hands, but he could barely keep his face from being bitten.

"Oh no you don't you son of a bitch! First you try to feed me to your brothers and then you try to kill me yourself?! I don't think so!" he shouted as he kicked Mike off of him. Mike flew into a stack of crates and smashed them to pieces. Snake stood up and wiped his mouth. "Man you stink," he muttered. Mike emerged from the boxes as he moaned again. Snake chuckled to himself. "What's the matter? Can't think of a comeback?" Mike charged at Snake at full speed. He slashed with his claws but Snake dodged to the side. He quickly grabbed Mike's head as he was turned and twisted it hard. Mike's neck cracked as he fell to the ground, dead. Snake dusted his hands off each other. "Heh, you had it coming," he said. Snake went over and helped Link to his feet. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Link. "He just startled me. I didn't think he'd be so fast." Link retrieved his sword. He held his chest as he leaned forward. "If I don't get out of here soon, I'm going to die. Slowly and painfully from losing all this blood," he said.

"Well, then let's go." Link put an arm over Snake's shoulder and he helped him to the door. They exited the building. Mike's body lay still under the white moonlight.

Snake and Link emerged from the warehouse and entered Samus' ship. Snake led Link past the other survivors to the front of the deck. Everyone who could stand was crowding around Samus and Dana who were siting in the pilot and co-pilot seat. Link leaned against the wall as Snake ran back to get him a medical kit. Zelda looked at him before listening back on the conversation.

"Okay, can you tell me exactly what happened?" asked Samus to the young girl next her. Dana was still crying, this time hyper-ventilating. She had a blue blanket wrapped around her body. She shook her head violently. Samus leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Okay. I understand that you're stressed out. I'll give you some time." She looked at Link who was trying to breath deeply. "You okay?" she asked. Snake came over and brought Link a medical kit.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just...get out of here," replied Link. Ike and Lucario were now standing on their feet, bandages wrapped around their bodies. Ike had a blanket over him. Fox was lying in one of the spare beds. Link made his way over to the last one. Snake sighed and took his place on the wall next to Todd again.

"Hey there," he greeted.

"Hi," replied the mercenary.

"What was taking so long?"

"Um, let's just say I had some unfinished business to attend to."

"Uh, okay. Who's that girl over there? She won't say anything."

"Look, I think it's best that you just sit back until we get the hell out of here. I don't know about you, but I've been wanting to go home since I set foot in this nightmare."

"Alright."

"Hey strangah, how's it going?" said the merchant who waddled over to the pair.

"Um, okay. Who are you?" asked Snake.

"Me? Aw, strangah, my name isn't important. I'll show you what is though." The merchant opened up his blue trench coat to reveal his collection of weapons. "What're ya buyin'?" Snake's jaw dropped when he saw the guns in his coat.

"Holy shit! Where did you get all that?!"

"Ha ha! Strangah, I have my sources. Now let's get down to business!" Snake was actually considering buying one of the merchant's guns. The idea sat in his mind until Snake came across a weapon he was all too familiar with.

"Hey...are those my grenades?"

"Um, no strangah, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Those are my grenades! Wait, now that I get a good look at you...you're the guy who blew open Samus' room with my C4's!" The merchant started sweating and looking for a way to escape. Unfortunately for him, the main exit had been closed off for departure. He quickly dashed into the bathroom and locked the door. Snake and Todd just stared at the door.

"Were those yours?" asked Todd.

"He'll be back. Just you wait. He can't hide in there forever," replied Snake.

Leon was sleeping in the bed across from them. Ike took a seat at the gun controls while Lucario sat in navigation. Zelda and Claire joined Snake and Todd on the wall.

"Man, it's crowded in here," said Claire.

"Tell me about it," replied Todd. Snake was getting impatient.

"Hey Samus! Can we go now!?" he hollered. Samus flipped him the middle finger and he backed off. "Well, excuse me!"

"Just give me a second to get this thing going!" she shouted. She turned to Dana. "You're going to have to get out of that seat." Dana nodded and went back to the group while Falco took her seat.

"Um, is she going to be okay?" he asked.

"She'll be fine. Come on, let's get this thing running so we can go home."

The full moon started to set in the night sky. Morning was now upon them. In a few more minutes, the survivors would be up in the air. They would try to escape the darkness and the evil that had befallen the city. Samus started up the main engine of her starship. It roared deeply in the bloody streets. The sound was so loud it had caused a flock of birds to fly up in the air towards Arklay. In the distance, a government missile flying at mach speeds could be seen heading towards Raccoon.

-

**Author's Note:** Just want to take the opportunity to thank my reviewers once again. So how did you guys like the return of Mike Syvone? Pretty creepy how he had Dana all tied up in that chair. Just what was he planning to do with her? I'll keep that to myself. Out of all the characters in this story, I'd have to say the merchant is my favorite to portray. Don't you just hate it how he's always obsessed with selling things? Anyways, don't forget to review! I'm curious to see what you thought about this chapter.


	19. Doubts and Homeward Bound

Into the Dark

Chapter 19: Doubts and Homeward Bound

Time Remaining: 0 hours 6 minutes

The ship took flight and maneuvered through the city. Samus nearly choked when she realized how long it has been.

"_Has three hours already gone by_?" she thought. She steered her starship carefully up the street, making sure not to hit any structures in the way. A loud booming sound could be heard in the background as the ship started vibrating in mid air. Snake nearly lost his balance as he leaned on the wall.

"What the hell is that noise?!" he shouted. Samus and Falco looked out the main viewer, trying to locate the disturbance. They noticed a shining light up in the sky ahead of them. It was heading straight for the city.

"It's the missile!" replied Samus. "It's causing the ship to vibrate!" The starship bounced around as it leveled itself off from the turns. Todd almost flew into the other wall but Snake grabbed his collar just in time.

"Thanks." Samus kept her eyes focused on the bomb.

"_There's no way we can outrun it! It's going too fast_!" The missile zoomed past them and was heading straight to the centre of the city. A thick trail of smoke followed it in the night air. Samus tried to watch it go, but it was too far back for her to see. She brought her attention back to the front.

"Hang on guys!" she said as she slammed her fist on a large button on the control panel. The ship picked up speed all of a sudden. Those who weren't sitting down like Snake and Claire immediately lost their balance and fell backward. Dana lost her balance as well but Link grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the bed with him. Todd was crushed a second time by Snake's body.

"Get off of me!" he cried.

"Sorry pal, I'm kind of stuck here!" replied Snake. Leon stirred in his sleep. He opened his eyes when the ship jerked upwards.

"Ugh...what's going on? Are we leaving?..." he said. Samus' ship turned on a dime to avoid a tall statue. The force of the turn caused Leon to fly out of his bed and land on Dana and Link on the other side.

"Ow! Hey!" said Link.

"Sorry about that..." Samus did her best to control her ship.

"Look out!" cried Falco as he pointed to an apartment building ahead of them. Samus pulled up on the controls and the ship started to climb up the steep wall. It started losing speed, but once it passed the incline, Samus leveled out the ship again. The survivors plastered to the back wall fell to the ground when the course was back on track.

"Ugh...I'm gonna puke if this keeps up..." mumbled Snake as he held his stomach. Suddenly, the ship started to vibrate again. A loud rumbling sound could be heard behind them. The missile had touched down. Everything went dead silent for a few seconds. Then an explosion rang out through the survivors' ears. Samus cursed when she heard this.

"_We're not even close to the outskirts yet_!" she thought. Behind them, buildings were collapsing to the ground and exploding into a mass of flame. Windows smashed, vehicles exploded, and the streets tore apart. The underground labyrinth completely caved in and broke apart under the weight of the city. The cry of a thousand monsters echoed through the survivors' heads as the explosion swept across the land. Samus could see the fires catching up to them as they flew. The R.P.D. was enveloped in a mass of flame and falling rocks. Johnny B's bar was disintegrated in an instant. The light caused by the explosion almost made it seem like it was mid-day rather than morning. Lucario could sense the explosion catching up on them.

"Samus! It's gaining on us!" he cried. Samus kept her eyes focused on the forest in front of her.

"_Shit...we're done for. My ship can't go any faster than this_..." she thought. Falco could sense that she was giving up all hope for them all. He closed his eyes. It was all over for them. Samus let go of the controls and allowed the ship to cruise peacefully across the barren wasteland. A tear ran down her eye as she slammed them shut.

"_I'm sorry...everyone...I failed_..." The flames were less than 100 feet away from them. It was only a matter of time. Samus allowed her sadness to take over her body. She relaxed in her chair and began to dream.

_Samus was standing on the roof of the R.P.D. and looking out at the explosion making its way closer and closer to her position. _

_"This can't be the end! We've gone through so much! We can't die now! I have to do something! But what can I do?" she cried. Captain Falcon walked up and stood next to her. _

_"You couldn't save them, could you?" he asked. Samus looked at him before turing back to the fires. _

_"No...I couldn't. There wasn't enough time," she replied. _

_"Even when they were all counting on you to save them. You couldn't do anything." _

_"I know. It's all my fault." _

_"Samus, can't you do anything right?" _

_"No. I can't." _

_"That explains why you couldn't save them. You can't do anything right. You should have just killed yourself." _

_"Killed myself?" _

_"Yeah. Remember when I beat you in that brawl and you got all upset?" _

_"Brawl? What brawl?" _

_"You don't remember? Wow, you really are useless." _

_"Could you tell me about it?" _

_"Well, we were fighting on that Battlefield stage. Remember that?" _

_"Not..really..." _

_"Link, Lucario and Snake were watching us. You know them right?" _

_"Those names...they sound familiar but...I can't remember who they are. I can't remember who I am..." _

_"Anyways, I beat you and you got upset for some reason. You then thought it was a good idea to come here into this city, but at the same time you dragged all of us into the mess." _

_"The mess?" _

_"Can't you remember anything?! You know those zombie things down there! They tried to kill us! They tried to kill you!" _

_"They did?" _

_"Yes they did! Samus, I hate to tell you this, but you put your friends in danger." _

_"I did?" _

_"You nearly got them killed. You nearly got us killed. And now, a government missile is coming right this way and there's nothing you or I can do about it. You killed us." _

_"I...killed you..." _

_"All of us." _

_"I killed all of you..." _

_"Yes you did." _

_"It's all my fault." _

_"It's all your fault." _

_"I should have killed myself." _

_"Yes you should have." _

_"But what can I do now? There's no way we'll be able to get out of here alive." _

_"At this point, I guess it's safe to say that your only option is death. Jump." _

_"What?" _

_"Jump! Off of this ledge right here!" Samus looked over the edge of the tall building and into the darkness below. An army of living dead were clawing at the building, trying to get at Samus' body. She turned back to Falcon. "Are you sure?" she asked. Captain Falcon rolled his eyes and replied. _

_"Look, this is the way I see it. You couldn't save your friends. You couldn't destroy the virus. You couldn't destroy the missile. You couldn't escape. You are a failure at life, Samus. You're best to just kill yourself and die honorably. That just may be the only thing you have going for you." _

_"But...what about Link? And the others?" _

_"Did you not hear a word I said!? THEY ARE DEAD, SAMUS. You killed them!" _

_"Oh yeah...I...killed them..." Samus looked back down at the horde of zombies. _

_"Okay. If that is my destiny, then I'll accept it." Samus was about to take a step off the edge when she heard a familiar voice behind her. _

_"STOP!" Samus turned around to see Link standing in the centre of the roof. Captain Falcon looked shocked. _

_"What?! You're supposed to be dead!" he cried. Link's eyes flared as he looked at Samus. _

_"Don't listen to him, Samus. We're not dead," he said. Samus looked confused. _

_"Who...are you?" she asked. _

_"I am Link. The one who you saved from the evil. The dark. I am in debt to your actions." _

_"Link..." _

_"Don't jump Samus. We are all waiting for you to take us out of this city. We are waiting for you to take us home." _

_"I can't. The explosion is too close. It's impossible to-" _

_"Nothing is impossible! Do you understand me!? Don't listen to what he says! He's lying to you!" _

_"But he-" _

_"Samus look at me! I am your friend! I care about you! If you were to die...I...I don't know what I'd do." Samus felt tears run down her face. _

_"Link...I...thank you." Link replied with a smile. Samus was about to walk down off the ledge, but felt Captain Falcon's strong arms shove her body. Falcon pushed her off the ledge and she fell down towards the crowding mob. The fires from the explosion drew closer and closer with each passing second. "Link! Help me!" she cried. _

_"SAMUS!" cried Link. Samus closed her eyes and braced herself for the sharp, rotting claws of the undead to tear her apart. "SAMUS!" Link's voice still ringed through her head. _

_"I'm sorry Link! I'm sorry everyone!" _

_"SAMUS! WAKE UP!"_

Samus jerked in her seat when she felt familiar hands shake her back into reality. She looked up to see Link's bandaged face staring down at her.

"Huh? Link? You're alive? But how?" she said.

"What are you talking about!? Look out the window!" Link replied. Samus sat up in her seat and looked out the side viewer. It was hard to see because of the flying dust and ashes, but when she squinted, she thought she saw an object rise out of the smoke. The head of a metallic falcon made her jump.

"The Falcon Flyer!" Captain Falcon's trademark ship edged closer and closer to the small starship. The flames were less than 50 feet behind them now. The dense forest could bee seen up ahead of them. Captain Falcon's voice boomed over the ship.

"Hey Samus! You alive in there!?" he said over the intercom. Samus hesitated in her reply. She glanced at Falco and Link who both gave light nods.

"We're fine, Falcon. It's about time you got here."

"Yeah, hang on a second. I can see you're having some trouble with your ship. Allow me." The Falcon Flyer flew underneath the starship and lifted it up. Samus' ship rumbled as it received Captain Falcon's ship under it. Samus killed the engine and allowed the larger ship to carry her's over the city. She sighed with relief.

"Thanks," she said.

"Anytime, just make sure you don't fall off. I'll try to stay level as best I can," he replied. Link gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," she replied. They were almost at the forest. The flames were extremely close now. So close they nearly met the rear jets of the ship.

"It's going to be close!" cried Falcon. Todd prayed silently in a corner. The red flames bit at the ship's rear, barely charring the back plating.

"Come on, come on!" said Falco. Leon got on his bed and crossed his fingers. Dana was shivering again. Claire went over to comfort her.

"Are we going to make it?" she asked slowly. Claire smiled.

"We will. Don't you worry." Zelda and Ike hugged each other tightly on the floor as the ship rocked back and forth from the flying debris. Snake held his balance on the wall.

"_If we make it out of here, lunch is on me_," he thought. In the bathroom, the merchant was counting his cash.

"Brace yourselves!" screamed Falcon over the intercom. Samus clenched her teeth.

"_Get us out of here_!" The Falcon Flyer boomed out of the city, a red trail of smoke following it. The flames behind it stopped and engulfed the entire city. The ship slowed down and hovered above the dark vegetation below. The survivors watched the epic light show before them. They all sat in silence as the sound of smashing rocks and glass filled the air. There was no more moaning. There was no more growling or cries of the undead. Samus stared into the fire with a hand to her mouth. "_That could have been us_..."

A large mushroom cloud ascended above the city.

"Holy shit..." muttered Snake. Captain Falcon's voice echoed through the ship.

"Well, everyone...we did it," he said. The survivors couldn't believe what they were hearing. They made it out alive. They were free.

They all sat in silence for a few moments before Snake burst into laughter. All the survivors stared at him before looking at each other. Each and everyone of them there had cuts, bruises, or blood all over their clothes and body. It was the first time this night they actually all had a chance to get a good look at each other. Link started laughing with Snake and soon, they were joined by the other survivors. Leon chuckled to himself.

"_Wow, what a night_..." he thought. Captain Falcon's voice came over the intercom again.

"Well, I think it's about time we headed home. Don't you think so, Samus?" he said. Samus nodded.

"Yes. Let's." All the survivors cheered in the ship. Samus started up her ship again and flew it off of Falcon's carrier. They both sped off away from the burning city. The two ships flew into the sky, away from the nightmares of Raccoon. Ness woke up from his sleep and looked at everyone in the room.

"Huh? Did I miss something?" All the smashers laughed again. Link picked up Ness and put him on his shoulders and started to dance around. "Whoa! Hey wait! What's going on!?" he cried.

"We did it Ness! We made it out of the city!" responded Link.

"We did!? Awesome! Ow! Oh, my stomach doesn't feel so good..." Link put him back on the bed.

"Oh sorry, I forgot. You're still hurt." Todd got up from his corner and confronted Snake.

"Oh my God, I can't believe we actually made it," he said. Snake put an arm around him.

"I never had any doubts about our escape. No one can kill the Smash Brothers!"

"Amen to that," said Falco from his seat. Ike helped Zelda to her feet.

"We're finally going home. Isn't that great?" he asked. Zelda kissed him on the cheek.

"Wouldn't want it any other way." Samus flipped on the communicator on her ship. Captain Falcon's image appeared on the main viewer. His helmet was cracked on the top and there was blood smeared on his face. He gave her a salute and she returned it.

"Well done, Samus. You saved them," he said. Samus gave a confused look.

"_Is he congratulating me? He's probably trying to throw me off_!" She stirred in her seat a little before replying.

"You know, I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to me yesterday," she replied. Captain Falcon sighed.

"Is that all you have to say to me? We come out of a living nightmare, and the first thing you say to me is 'I haven't forgiven you'? Can't you put that aside until we get back please? I'm really stressed out right now." Samus couldn't believe how rude she was. How careless she was. She quickly corrected herself.

"Look, Falcon, I...I'm sorry...it's just that...I'm pretty stressed out too."

"It's okay, we can get things sorted out when we get back to the mansion."

"Who else is with you?"

"Meta Knight and Lucas. We ran into Pit earlier but I don't know what happened to him. We lost contact with Ike and Zelda hours ago."

"They're here with me."

"Oh good. I guess we're all together again. Well, except for Snake..."

"He's here too."

"What? But Link said he was dead!"

"We thought he was dead, but he survived somehow. I'm surprised none of us got killed last night."

"Just goes to prove how powerful we really are, eh? But enough chit-chat. Let's just get out of here before I puke."

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

"Oh wait Samus!"

"Yeah?"

"Um. Take care okay?"

"Uh, sure..."

"Alright. See you soon!" Samus switched off the communicator and turned to Falco and Link who gave her awkward stares.

"What?" she asked.

"Uh, you and him are on speaking terms now?" said Link.

"For now we are. I have to let it slide considering we nearly got ourselves killed last night," she replied.

"Ah, good point," said Falco. He leaned back in his chiar and propped his dirty feet up on the controls. Samus was about to slap them off, but she just ignored it.

"_We've gone through enough trouble. It's time to relax_." Claire went over to Leon's bed and knelt down beside him.

"Hey there," she greeted.

"Hi," he replied.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I kind of hurt myself when I fell into the other bed. But, I'm okay now. That stuff you put on me earlier really did help. Thanks."

"Oh please, it's the least I could do. I mean, you did save my life after all."

"Like I said before, just doing my job."

"I know. You're good at doing your job."

"Thanks again." Claire looked out the side viewer into the morning sky.

"Reminds you of what happened 10 years ago?" she asked.

"I don't want to remember what happened 10 years ago," replied Leon.

"You were just a rookie cop back then."

"First day on the job. Worst day of my life. But it doesn't seem so bad when you compare it to what happened last night."

"Tell me about it. You must have had it hard when you were in Europe."

"You don't know the half of it."

"Well, we've got a lot of time to kill. Let's hear it."

"Alright. If you're sure."

"I am."

"Okay. It starts off like this..." Some of the other survivors crowded around to hear Leon's story.

Dana remained back and just stared out the window. She could see a glimpse of Raccoon City behind her. The smoke rose up into the clouds, creating a thick blanket in the air. A tear left her eye but she quickly wiped it away.

"_Good-bye Officer Papineau. Good-bye, Michael Syvone. I'll always remember you_." She continued to stare out the window. Lucario looked at Fox who was still sleeping in the bed. There were bandages wrapped everywhere on his body.

"_His aura is still strong for someone who nearly lost his life_," thought Lucario. "_He's lucky to be alive_." Lucario sensed demonic aura coming from the bathroom. "_What? I didn't sense this before_?" Lucario walked over to the small bathroom and knocked on the door.

"No one in here, strangah!" came a muffled voice from inside the bathroom. Lucario rolled his eyes and grabbed the doorknob. He tried to open it but it was locked.

"Come out of there," he said.

"No can do, strangah! You want in, you have to pay the toll!" replied the voice. Lucario broke the doorknob with his paw and opened the door. The merchant fell out of the bathroom and sprawled in the middle of the room in front of the survivors.

"Who are you?" asked Lucario. All the survivors looked at the merchant as he stood up.

"My names not important, strangah," he replied. Snake cracked his knuckles. The merchant turned to the tall mercenary.

"This'll be fun," said Snake. The merchant tried to run but Lucario grabbed him and held him still.

"You better start talking," said Lucario. "There's something wrong with you." The merchant just laughed.

"Ha! Strangah, there's a lot of things wrong with me! I can't even name all the things that's wrong with me!" Lucario turned the merchant around so that they were facing each other.

"I sense something inside you," said Lucario. Through Lucario's eyes, the merchant's eyes were red instead of blue. "Just what are you?"

"If you want to know, you have to pay, strangah."

"Okay, that tears it!" shouted Snake. Snake ran up and pulled the merchant out of Lucario's grasp. He then pushed him up against a wall. "I hate your guts almost as much as I hate those zombies! Now you better start talking or else I'll knock that stupid scarf off your face!" he threatened. The merchant chuckled.

"You want to know about me, strangah? Why, I'd be more than happy to talk. I am not evil, nor good. I am neither infected nor pure. I am the wandering merchant. If I've got somethin' you want, you can have it for a price."

"Wait, what do you mean you're neither good nor evil?"

"What I mean is..." The merchant removed the scarf from his face to reveal a set of broken, yellowed teeth. Snake nearly flinched at the sight.

"That's just fucking gross."

"Strangah, what I mean is...I was infected. I was one of those things you saw in the city. But somehow I was cured. But the virus is still inside my body. I do not feed on the living anymore. I have my own free will. Now my life has been dedicated to the buying and trading of goods. I am the merchant, strangah." Snake put the gross man back on the ground and backed off.

"So, you're infected?"

"Yes, strangah."

"Well that makes sense," said Lucario.

"No it doesn't. Are you out of your mind?" replied Snake. "Look, how about you give me all that stuff you took, and we'll call it even?"

"Sorry strangah. I only do business."

"Business?! You stole my shit! How is that business?!"

"Hey, first come first serve, strangah."

"Really now? Alright, if you say so." Snake threw a hard punch at the merchant's smug face. The man flew into the wall and fell to the ground. Zelda screamed.

"Snake! What the hell are you doing!?" shouted Ike.

"Just business," he replied as he walked over and pulled his explosives out of the merchant's coat.

"Strangah!"

"Shut the hell up!" said Snake as he went over to Todd and took a seat on the ground. The merchant pulled himself off the ground and wrapped the scarf around his mouth again.

"I would have given them to you anyways, strangah."

"Don't want to hear it. Hey Samus! How much longer until we get back?"

Samus didn't reply. She honestly didn't know how long it would be until they got home. She just let Captain Falcon be her guide. From now on, whenever she hears the word "America," she's going to laugh. Never again does she wish to set foot in this country. Planet Zebes was more welcoming than here. Link and Falco sat silently in their seats. They were almost home. The only sound that could be heard was that of the engines breathing through the walls. Up ahead, the morning sun could be seen rising up over the mountains of Arklay. The nightmare was finally over.

**Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter seemed kind of short or sped up. I tried to make it sound as realistic as I could. This chapter had more talking than action. It felt kind of weird, but whatever. I couldn't put that much in here otherwise it would tie in to what I plan to do next chapter. I'm sure you're all pleased that the merchant had what was coming to him. Good old Snake always pulls through. I bet you guys thought the merchant was going to turn into a zombie and attack them on the ship. Nah, I wouldn't do that. The smashers have gone through enough pain already. The next chapter will be longer, I promise! Thanks again for the reviews! Oh, and I'm sorry if last chapter was kind of "weird" as Clear Blue put it. This story would be much easier to understand if you've played RE and SSBB like me. I'm a huge fan of both so, um, yeah. Don't forget to review please!**


	20. Consequences

Into the Dark

Chapter 20: Consequences

...that's when I found Ashley being held captive by Saddler in some kind of machine. With Ada's help, I managed to save her and destroy the virus implanted into both of our bodies."

"Did it hurt?" asked Ness.

"Oh yeah. Big time."

"How did it feel?"

"It felt as though someone was taking a knife and drilling it into my chest. That's the only way I can describe it." Ness grasped his chest gently.

"Ew..."

"Heh, it was no picnic."

"Then what happened, Leon?" asked Claire.

"Well, we ran into more of those Ganados freaks, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Eventually, Ashley and I came across a harbour-"

"Don't forget about me, strangah!" called the merchant from the other side of the ship.

"I wish I could forget about you!" replied Leon.

"Hey, we're trying to listen here," said Ike. The merchant sat back down on the ground and felt the area where Snake hit him.

"Please continue, Leon." Leon looked out the window at the clear blue sky before turning back to the group crowding around his bed.

"Where was I? Oh yeah, the harbour. I told Ashley to stay put while I went up the lift to confront Saddler for the last time."

"Weren't you worried someone might take her?" asked Ness.

How could anyone take her, strangah? I was right there with her!" said the merchant. Everyone gave the merchant an evil glare and he sunk back into the floor. "Just sayin'...strangah."

"I knew no one could take her. We were too far on the end of the island for anyone to get to her. Not only that but we were in a secluded area," said Leon.

"So what happened when you made it to the top of the lift?" asked Zelda.

"I found Saddler at the top area overlooking the sea. Ada was there too, tied up and being hung off a crane. I saved her of course. She then seemed to disappear when Saddler unleashed his true form."

"What was it?"

"The plagas took over his body completely and mutated him into a giant monster. It resembled a scorpion if you looked at it. He was huge, over 30 feet high and he had sharp blade swinging around on his body."

"That must have been scary."

"Oh it was. Lucky for me I had my Broken Butterfly with me."

"Compliments of me, strangah."

"I took out his most vulnerable spot, the giant eyeball."

"Just like Orlow..."

"Yep. But it wasn't enough to kill him for good. After a while, Ada came back and she threw me her rocket launcher. That was the key weapon I needed to finish him off. With one blow from the rocket, Saddler exploded and died."

"So you were okay in the end."

"Not really. After I grabbed the virus sample, Ada threatened me with her gun."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. But I had no choice but to give her what she wanted. She escaped the island by a chopper, leaving me with nothing but the keys to a jet-ski. She then set off a timer for the island to explode."

"But, you could have died."

"Obviously it didn't matter to her. She got what she wanted. So in short, I ran back to Ashley, we got on the jet-ski, rode out of the island through an underground channel, and the rest is history." Leon glanced at the merchant. "But I still don't know how he survived. There's no way he could have escaped the blast from where he was." The merchant stood up.

"Ah, strangah, that's for me to know, and for you to find out. Heh heh heh!" said the merchant. Ness gave an applause.

"That was awesome! I had no idea you had been through all that!" he exclaimed. Leon brushed his hair out of his face.

"Heh, well you don't want to know what happened in Raccoon City 10 years ago," he said.

"Come on Leon! Tell us!" replied Ness.

"Yeah Leon! Come on!" said Snake childly as he teased Ness.

"Well, if you guys want to hear it, I'll tell you. I think Claire can help me with this one."

"Sure can," said Claire. Todd was standing to the side. He had been listening to Leon's story the entire time. He felt so bad for yelling at him before.

"_I had no idea how much pain Leon had gone through. How much suffering he witnessed. How much he endured. And yet, he still manages to keep himself together, even when he's under a lot of pressure_," he thought. "_It makes me feel so...insignificant_." Todd felt the scar on his nose. "_Van...why did you do it? I wasn't worth saving, yet you...you sacrificed yourself to save me. Why_?" Todd's head sunk as he listened to Leon tell his second story.

"...I ran into Claire at that diner. Saved her life," he said.

"Yeah, he really did. I owe him my life," she said. Todd looked over at Dana who was looking out the window near her bed.

"_I don't even know who that is. Maybe I should talk to her. She looks lonely. But after the way she acted when she first got on the ship, I don't think she wants to talk to anyone_." Todd looked at Leon and then back at Dana. "_Worth a shot_." Dana jumped when she felt the mattress under her start to sink down. She turned around to see Todd's scarred face looking at her.

"Hey," he greeted. "How you doing?" Dana hesitated before replying.

"I'm...okay..." she said. Todd looked out the window at a bird that was flying close to the ship.

"I'm glad we're out of there."

"...Yeah..."

"So, how long were you in the city before the murders occurred?"

"Not long...I...I was a second year student...at the university....down there..."

"Really? Wow, what were you studying?"

"Why do you care?"

"Hey, I'm just asking. I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Dana turned away form him for a moment.

"Bio-chemistry," she said.

"Oh, I see. How long were you there for?"

"My year was almost done...It wasn't until...until...that monster...in the lab..."

"Monster?"

"It...attacked us...tore open my best...my best friend's body...and started...eating it..."

"Oh...I know how that feels."

"You seemed pretty relaxed for someone who's gone through something like that."

"I'm just trying to give a good first impression."

"Oh, well you're failing miserably."

"Um...thanks?"

"I tried to escape as fast as I could, but eventually, one of the monsters caught me....It bit me..." Dana gestured towards the bandage on her shoulder.

"I see."

"Had it not been...for...for Mike...I'd probably be dead now."

"Mike?"

"Yeah...he's an old friend...He cares about me a lot. I can tell by the way he acts...He has a problem though."

"What kind of problem?" Dana looked back out the window again before saring back at Todd directly in the eyes.

"There are two of him." Todd raised an eyebrow at this.

"Two...of him?" he repeated.

"Yes. I don't know how else to describe it. But basically, there are two Mike's. A good one and a bad one. The good one always tries to take care of me and watch out for me. The bad one...he tries to lead the good one into trouble. I don't know why the good Mike listens to the bad Mike."

"Wait, wait, you're losing me. Do you mean he has some kind of an alter ego?" Dana nodded her head.

"He tried to kill them."

"Who?"

"Them, over there. The one with the pointy ears, the woman in the tight body suit, and that tall guy with the beard. He tried to kill them. Right before my eyes. All just because he cared about me."

"But that was the evil Mike."

"Yes, the bad Mike controlling the good Mike and making him do bad things."

"Where is he now?"

"He's...dead..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that you made it sound like he was still-"

"He's dead. That's all there is to it." Dana turned around and again so that her back was facing Todd. Obviously, she didn't want to talk to him anymore.

"Dana..." he said. She didn't reply. Todd turned around and faced Leon and the others.

"...that was our first encounter with lickers," said Claire as she was continuing Leon's story.

"What are lickers?" asked Snake.

"They look like human beings that have been turned inside out. They normally attack with claws and a long, lance-like tongue," replied Leon.

"Hey, I know what he's talking about!" said Ness.

"Hey! Stop interrupting! I want to hear this!" said Ike.

"Okay. After running into the licker I started wandering around the R.P.D. I have no idea what Claire was doing at the time," said Leon.

"I was helping that girl, Sherry. Remember?"

"Oh yeah. The daughter of the infamous William Birkin."

"Who's that?" asked Ness.

"Hey guys! I can see the mansion!" called Link at the front. Ness looked at Leon and he smiled back.

"Better go see. I'll tell you more later." Ness smiled back and ran up to Link, Samus and Falco.

"Is it okay for us to be telling him about stuff like that? I mean, it could give the kid nightmares," said Claire.

"He's going to be having nightmares anyways from what happened last night," responded Leon. Todd and the other smashers went up to the main viewer to see the mansion. The merchant joined too.

"Hey strangah! I can't see anythin'! You're in my way!" Snake ignored him. He was too mesmerized by the view. The beautiful view of Smash Mansion. Finally, after all this time, they were home.

"Hey Samus! Enjoying the view?" said Captain Falcon on the intercom.

"You kidding me?" she replied. Falcon laughed at her comment.

"Okay! Let's take her home!" The two ships flew over the dense forest below, straight towards the large building in the middle. The sun slowly rose on the horizon and painted the mountains a golden yellow color. All the smashers cheered.

"That mansion is huge!" exclaimed Todd. Dana watched the trees go by from her bed. Both ships circled around the building and gently touched down in the parking lot. Everything was the way they left it, save for Fox's Arwing. As soon as the ships touched ground, Samus killed the engine. All the survivors sat in silence as they took in their new surrounding. Link gave her a hug.

"I knew you could do it ha ha!"

"Thanks. Now everyone, off of my ship! This thing is going to need a good cleaning when we're out of here!" Samus pressed the button to open the door and everyone filed out. Captain Falcon, Meta Knight and Lucas were standing next to the Falcon Flyer. The three of them joined the other survivors on the warm pavement.

"Good to see you're all alive," said Falcon.

"Likewise," replied Samus.

"Ness! You're okay!" cried Lucas as he went over to hug his best friend.

"Hey I'm okay! Watch it! I'm still sore!" choked Ness. Meta Knight's cape fluttered in the wind. His mask was cracked on one side and there were several blood stains smeared across it.

"_Man, he must have had it rough in that city_," thought Link. "_Now that I look at them, all three of them look like they went through some kind of shredder_..." Indeed, Captain Falcon's helmet was cracked and his suit was torn in some parts. His scarf had blood stains on it too. Lucas' shirt had blood smudged all over it and his shoes were painted crimson. "_I don't look too good myself_."

"Hey down there!" called a familiar voice. Everyone turned to the mansion. They couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. "Up here!" The survivors looked up to see the angel, Pit, on the roof of the greenhouse. He had a box of nails next to him and he was carrying a large wooden plank and a hammer in his hands.

"Pit?! Is that you!?" shouted Falcon.

"Yeah! Hang on! I'll be right there!" Pit dropped his tools and flew down to the survivors. He looked about the group. "Oh man, are you guys a mess." Snake eyed him. Pit was perfectly clean from head to toe.

"_That jerk! He hangs around here in the sun while we get our asses eaten by an army of monsters_..." he thought to himself.

"Yeah, but we're lucky we got out of there alive," said Link.

"Tell me about it. You guys look terrible."

"Thanks." The merchant stepped in front of the group.

"Ah! A new customer, strangah! Now what're ya buy- Hey!" Leon grabbed him and put him in a choke hold.

"Okay okay! Uncle! Strangah!" Leon let go of him.

"Don't do that again," he threatened. The merchant brushed it off while he watched Pit stare at him.

"Um, I see you made some new friends," he joked.

"Yeah, well most of us our friends. He's just a guy I happen to know," said Samus as she pointed at the merchant.

"You guys should come inside. Master Hand was worried about you," replied Pit.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lead the way!" said Falcon. Pit turned around and headed to the mansion front doors. Everyone else followed.

"Is he an angel?" whispered Todd to Snake.

"Um, yeah I think that was kind of obvious," he replied.

"But how is this possible? An angel! A real live angel! Where are we anyways?"

"Look, if you keep asking questions, I'm going to have to smack you."

"Sorry." Pit grasped the doorknobs and turned his head to the others.

"Everyone's been talking about you since you guys disappeared," he said. "They were getting all excited and worried."

"Aren't we the popular ones?" replied Falco. Pit opened both grand doors with a mighty swing and the interior of the mansion foyer was exposed to the survivors. Todd and the merchant's jaw dropped when they saw the inside.

"It's huge!" they both said together. The foyer was sparkling under the giant chandelier above their heads. An even larger staircase wrapped around two large doors in the centre (think of the foyer in Luigi's Mansion or Resident Evil 1 except way bigger and fancier).

"Oh! I think I'm going to have a heart attack, strangah!" exclaimed the merchant.

"God would be too kind if he did that," muttered Snake. Leon looked about the large room as he stepped inside.

"It's...wow..." was all he could say. Dana didn't say anything but examined the room from top to bottom. The other smashers took in the fumes as if they were entering the gates of heaven. They breathed deeply the familiar scents of home, leaving the smell of rotting flesh and intestines behind. Link felt like he was going to cry.

"Welcome back guys!" said Pit. Suddenly, the doors at the top of the staircase opened revealing a blonde princess in pink. Peach stared down at the smashers as they stared back.

"Peach?" said Samus.

"You're back!" she cried. "Hey everyone! They're back!" All the other smashers burst through the doorway and shoved each other down the stairs. Diddy Kong even took the liberty of jumping off the balcony and making it to the bottom first.

"Where did you guys go!?" he shouted as he tugged on Link's tunic.

"Hey take it easy!" replied Link.

"Do you know how long it's been since we last saw you!?" said Marth as he shoved Snake.

"Watch it!" he replied. The other smashers soon started crowding the group and yelling out questions about where they were.

"We were so worried!"

"Did you guys really go to the United States?!"

"You should have called me!"

"Why didn't you take me with you!?"

"Did you have fun!?"

"Oh I see, you thought you could ditch us!"

"Whoa Samus, nice hair!"

"Aw what stinks in here?!"

"There's blood on your shirts!"

"What were you doing out there!?"

"Hey Ike, where's your shirt!?"

"Who're these humans you brought back with you?!"

"Master Hand is going to be pissed!"

"You guys should, like, go and take a shower! Like, now!"

"BEEP!"

"I-a wouldn't-a want to be-a you right now!" Link slammed his hands over his ears. There was too much noise. He couldn't bear it any longer.

"EVERYBODY SHUTUP!" he cried.

Everyone in the room went silent. They all stared at him. He took a deep breath and stood straight. "Pit, take us to Master Hand," he said. Pit nodded and walked up the stairs. The survivors followed, but the other smashers persisted in their annoying comments.

"Oh you guys are dead now!"

"Master Hand is going to bite your heads off!"

Pit walked down the hallways, ignoring the harsh comments behind him. Eventually, he stopped in front of two, large, red double doors at the end of the hallway. There was a plaque on the left door which read, "Head Office," in black lettering. Pit knocked on the door, trying to get louder than the voices behind him.

"Who is it?" asked a muffled voice from the other side.

"It's Pit. They've come back." Master Hand made a loud spitting sound.

"What?! Get them in here now!" Pit opened the doors and he stepped inside along with the survivors. Todd closed the door on a short man in a space suit and turned around. The sound of the smashers outside quickly died down.

Master Hand was floating in a large, black chair on the other side of the room. A tall window was behind him, revealing the great forest and the clear blue sky. Various snapshots of recent brawls were framed on the walls around him. He was rapping his fingers on his expensive desk impatiently. A Mario trophy was sitting on the corner of his desk, as well as stacks of paper work. Several filing cabinets lined the walls with book shelves and statues. Four lonely chairs sat in front of the desk. Master Hand eyed the group before clearing his throat and then speaking.

"Please, sit down."

The group moved towards him cautiously, especially the humans. They had never seen a giant, talking gloved hand before. Link, Samus, Snake and Captain Falcon took a seat in front of the desk while the others stood behind them silently. They sat in silence for a while as Master Hand continued to rap his fingers. Samus crossed her legs and looked at Link who returned a worried stare. The merchant was about to wander off until Leon grabbed his collar and pulled him to the front of the group. Captain Falcon removed his helmet and placed it on his lap. Snake twiddled his thumbs until he looked up and noticed the Mario trophy. He grabbed it and started to fiddle with it. There was more silence. Link stared out at the sky behind Master Hand. Lucario close his eyes. Ike and Zelda held hands again. All of them bore the same worried looks on their faces. The silence was broken when a soft popping sound was heard. Snake had accidentally broken Mario's head off the trophy. He tried to squish the two pieces in his hands back together. He placed the fixed Mario trophy back on the desk while giving off a childish smile. It wasn't until the Mario head fell off the trophy and onto the desk, that Master Hand slammed down his fist.

"WHERE WERE YOU!?" he screeched. All the survivors flinched at the hand. Link felt his legs shake, but he pulled himself together.

"Sir, please you must understand-"

"Do you know how long you've been missing? 12 hours! Do you not realize how long that is!?"

"Master Ha-"

"I can't even trust you enough to stay on the grounds after dark!"

"Can you at least let us explain!" Master Hand leaned back in his seat.

"This better be good." Link looked at Samus and Falcon wondering if he should explain the story from the very beginning. Captain Falcon took control.

"It's my fault, Master Hand. I-"

"I don't want to know who's fault it is right now! I want to know what happened!"

"Sir, it's like this," said Samus. "I thought it would be a good idea to go relaxing somewhere after a hard days brawl. Link suggested we go to the States to-"

"The United States of America!? You went there without my permission!?"

"Yes, we did. We ended up trapped in a city known as Raccoon. That is when we discovered the monsters."

"Monsters you say?"

"They're humanoid creatures that feed off of living flesh. They destroyed the city and murdered nearly every resident. We were lucky to make it out alive. You have no idea."

"I see. So these 'monsters' so you call them, kill by eating their victims?"

"Yes."

"They're 'humanoid' creatures?"

"Yes."

"In other words, you are saying that "zombies" ate these people alive and destroyed the city?"

"Yes!"

"That's totally absurd! You expect me to believe that!?"

"It's true, sir!"

"Oh, and I suppose that these "creatures" just happened to be attacking when you entered the city?"

"Yes!"

"Don't lie to me! I know you're hiding something!"

"She's not lying!" shouted Link.

"You hold your tongue! Look, it would be much easier for us all if you just told me the truth. That way I could figure out a suitable punishment for your actions."

"We are telling the truth!" said Samus.

"I don't believe you!"

"It did happen!" said Snake, "and the city got destroyed by a government missile! How can you not believe us when the evidence is right here on our clothes?!"

"Well, I'll have to agree that you do seem to be rather drenched in blood, but still, that gives me no reason to believe that you were in a city full of zombies."

"It's the truth," said Leon from behind Link.

"And who are you?" asked the hand.

"Leon Kennedy. Pardon my rudeness sir, but this is the first time I've ever spoken to a giant hand before. These people, Link and his group, they saved our lives. We are eternally grateful for what they have done. You have no idea what we went through in that city."

"And that's another thing!" replied Master Hand ignoring Leon's comment completely. "Who said you could bring outsiders to the mansion!?"

"He's not an outsider!" shouted Link. "He's our friend! They are our friends!"

"Ugh, I can't take this anymore! If you can't give me a suitable explanation for why you were missing, I'm going to have to punish you all!"

"I really don't see the big deal here. I mean, sure we went missing, but we all made it back in one piece didn't we?" asked Snake.

"You don't understand," replied the glove. "Do you people not realize how much money is put into these tournaments? This operation is costing my company millions of dollars! I am doing you a favor by providing you with free room and board! All you have to do is compete with each other! That is how we make our money! That is how I get paid! How do you expect me to explain to my superiors that ten of my smashers have somehow gone missing!? Hm!? I can't! Don't you see how important you are!? Without you, there is no Smash Bros.! I don't care if you got lost in some city with a horde of zombies! If you can't be here to fight, I have to be responsible for you! The last thing I need is Konami trying to sue my ass for your loss! The company is all that matters right now!"

None of the others replied but reflected on what Master Hand just said. Did this mean that he never cared about them to begin with? That all he wanted was the money? Samus stood up.

"Don't you care what happens to us?" she asked.

"Of course I do!" he replied. "Which brings me back to the question, where were you?"

"I told you we were in a city infested with zombies."

"And I told you if I don't hear the truth now, I'm going to punish each and every one of you." Samus slammed her fists on the desk, causing the other half of the Mario trophy to fall off.

"This isn't a game dammit! We could have died out there!" she shouted. Link actually felt scared of her. Master Hand leaned forward close to Samus' face.

"Well who's fault is that?" he asked.

"It's mine," said Captain Falcon. "If you won't believe our story, then can you at least believe that it was my doing that got us lost in the first place? Punish me. The others have nothing to do with it." The glove turned to the racer.

"You're not lying...are you?" he asked.

"No, I'm not." Link couldn't believe what he was hearing. Captain Falcon, the jerk who had made Samus cry, the guy who trapped them in the city, was confessing in front of his very eyes. Buy why?

"_Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all_," thought Link.

"Is this true?" asked Master Hand to Samus. She didn't know what to say. What would Master Hand do to Captain Falcon if she said yes? Falcon put his helmet back on his head.

"I'm ready to accept my fate, sir," he said bravely.

"Very well. I-"

"Wait!" cried Link. The glove turned to the bloody Hylian.

"Huh?"

"It's not his fault. He's lying," said Link. Samus gave a shocked look at him.

"Link, what are you-"

"-I did it. It's my fault. Punish me," he said. Captain Falcon did not reply. Master Hand began to rap his fingers again.

"Oh, so now it's _your _fault, Link?" he asked.

"Yes. Yes it is."

"I'm surprised you would stick up for Falcon. I know you and him haven't had the best relationship since the beginning of the company."

"Well, you know, things change."

"I understand. Link, I-"

"Wait Master Hand," said Samus. Master Hand stopped rapping his fingers and turned to the young woman.

"What now!?"

"I...I have a confession to make." All the survivors looked at her. Link's ears twitched at her voice.

"Well, let's hear it then," pressured the hand.

"Link and Falcon...They aren't the ones who caused this whole mess. I know they have been trying to protect me since the very beginning. And I've done nothing for them in return. I....I feel so low. They are not to blame. But I know who is."

"Samus, no..." said Link.

"I am." Master Hand laughed.

"I knew I'd get you to confess! You can't live with the guilt!" Samus shook her head as she stared at the top of the desk. Link just looked at her from the side. How could she do it?

"Wait, Master Hand! It's my fault!" said Snake.

"Not going to work this time! Now I know who started this whole mess in the first place!"

"Damn, I wanted to sound heroic..." Master Hand rose up from his seat.

"The tournament has been postponed until next week. You are all free to go. Return to your rooms and catch up on all the social time you missed. As for the Americans, I'll have a cab ready for you by this afternoon. In the meantime, please make yourself at home. And Samus..." Everyone stayed in the room regardless of what Master Hand had said. They wanted to hear Samus' fate.

"Yes...sir?..." she asked.

"You're fired."

Samus froze. Master Hand's words hit her like a bullet.

"_Fired? I can't be fired! This isn't legal_!"

"Sir! I can assure you you're making a mistake!"

"My mind has been made up. Pack your things, Samus Aran. You are leaving the Smash Mansion and the tournament. You are no longer a Smash Brother." Samus wanted to fight back but she knew she couldn't. It was all over for her. She turned away from the group and stormed to the door, a rush of tears leaving her eyes. None of the others reacted. Link felt himself stand up under all the pressure.

"If she goes, I go!" he shouted. Samus turned around at the door.

"_Did I hear those words correctly_?"

"What?!" said Master Hand. "What do you mean you'll 'go'?! You can't leave!"

"Yes I can! Master Hand! I QUIT!" said Link as he threw down his bloody hat and ran to Samus who was waiting at the door.

"You come back here this instant!" shouted Master Hand. "This wasn't on the contract!"

"Screw the contract! I'm not letting you control the way I live!"

"Fine! If you want to leave, LEAVE! I don't need you!" Suddenly, Snake and Captain Falcon stood up. They both stared at Master Hand and then they walked to the door and stood by Samus and Link.

"If he goes, I go!" said Snake.

"Same here!" said Falcon.

"What!? Are you out of your minds!?" shouted the hand. Ike went over and stood by Snake.

"And if he goes, I go!" Soon, he was joined by Zelda, Ness and Lucas.

"We're not leaving our friends behind!" said Ness.

"Your friends!? Don't you care about your careers?!" Lucario shook his head and walked to the door. Meta Knight, Fox and Falco followed suit. Soon, the only ones standing in front of the desk were the humans. Leon shrugged his shoulders at Master Hand and gestured for Claire to follow him. After Dana and Todd walked back, the only one standing in front of the desk was the merchant who was looking out the window. He jumped when he heard Snake's voice.

"Get your ass over here!"

"Oh, sorry, strangah." The merchant waddled back to the group and they all faced Master Hand from the door. Master Hand floated in silence for a while before speaking.

"So this is the way you want it to be then? You are all going to quit? All because you don't want Samus to leave?" None of the smashers replied, but some of them gave nodding motions with their head. "Hmm...well I can't afford to lose all of you...and if you want her that badly..." Link clenched his teeth. "...I'll let her stay."

Everyone cheered. Samus was still crying, but they were tears of joy. She wasn't going to leave. She was going to stay. She and Link hugged and he spun her around a couple times. Snake gave a shocked look at the glove.

"You're just going to let her off like that?" he asked.

"I have no choice at this point. You all can't leave, otherwise this company would go out of business," he replied.

"You know, we could use that to our advantage over you."

"Don't get any funny ideas." Snake nearly got knocked over as Link swung Samus a little too close to him.

"Hey watch it! I'm still sore from that fight!" he complained. Link put her down and felt his chest. It was starting to hurt again.

"Oh man, I shouldn't have pushed it..." he said. Ike helped him up.

"Okay, before we do any celebrating, first things first. You need to see a doctor," he said.

"Just get Mario in here..." replied Link. Captain Falcon opened the door and the smashers that were crowding outside fell into the room. Falcon looked down at them in disgust.

"Heh. Hi!" said Olimar.

"Mario, get up," commanded the racer. Mario pulled himself out from underneath Donkey Kong and brought himself to his feet.

"Hello Captain-a Falcon!" he greeted.

"Hey. Look, some of us are in pretty bad shape. If you could just take a look at Link and Fox for us, that would be great." Captain Falcon examined his group of survivors. "Actually, we're all going to need a check up."

"Okey-Dokey! This-a way everyone!" said the short man. He lead the survivors out to the halls. Leon, Claire, Todd, Dana and the merchant stayed in the office. When everyone left, they turned to Master Hand.

"So, you said you have a cab for us?" asked Leon. Master Hand turned away from the window behind him. He had been daydreaming while looking at the forest.

"Hm?" he replied a bit dazed.

"Is there a cab for us?"

"Cab? Oh yeah a cab! You are the group who helped my smashers find their ways home aren't you?"

"Your...smashers?" asked Claire.

"Could you clarify something for us?" asked Leon. "We know that Link, Samus and the others are not from our world. We don't even know where the heck we are. What is this place?"

"I can't tell you."

"What do you mean you can't tell us?"

"Regular people are not supposed to know about this realm. You came here all by accident."

"Wait, so no one knows about this place?"

"Yes. And I plan for it to stay like that. However, I understand that there are some exceptions. I'm still debating whether I should erase your memories or not."

"Wait...erase our memories? You can do that?"

"I most certainly can. I have that kind of power."

"You can't erase our memories! Don't you know who your dealing with!?"

"No. I don't care. You are all just regular people to me."

"Hey strangah! I could sell you some nice towels that would look perfect on that wall over there!"

"On second thought, erase this guys memory and we can all leave safely and never talk of this again," said Leon.

"I could do that. But, I'm feeling rather generous today," replied Master Hand.

_Generous? He almost fired Samus! You call that generous?_" thought Claire.

"So you're letting us off the hook?" asked Leon.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I'll give you 3 hours. If your not out of my mansion by that time, I will erase your memories from existence. Feel free to use the spas and showers as you wish to get yourself cleaned up. Now run along. You're starting to stink up my room." Claire sniffed herself and shuddered. She really did stink.

"Okay, thank you sir."

"Don't mention it. Ever."

"Hey strangah, you sure you don't want some nice towels?"

"Don't make me kill you." Leon and the others dragged the merchant out of the room and into the hallway. Master Hand stared at Link's red hat on the ground. After shutting the door, Leon pressed the merchant up against a wall.

"What were you thinking?! That guy could have killed us!" he shouted as quietly as he could.

"Sorry strangah, just trying to get in some good business," replied the smelly man.

"Business! Is that all you talk about!? I-AH!" Leon dropped the merchant and held his stomach. It was starting to bleed again. Claire helped him stand.

"Maybe we should find a doctor that lives here," she said.

"Yeah...let's do that..." choked Leon.

"Or strangah, you could buy one of my First Aid Sprays," chimed the merchant. The four survivors stared at him. He smiled childly under his scarf. "Somethin' wrong, strangah?"

"You mean to tell me you had First Aid Sprays this whole time!?" shouted Leon.

"Heh heh heh. Sure did, strangah."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" said Claire.

"Strangah, I didn't think you cared. Now if you want one, it'll come with a price..." The merchant opened the left side of his coat to reveal an arsenal of unopened green cans. "So, we got a deal?"

"How much are they?"

"500 bucks a piece." Leon spat at his words.

"$500?!"

"Hey, whatever way I make money works for me, strangah."

"It's okay Leon, I'll pay," said Claire as she pulled out her brown wallet and handed it to the merchant. He examined the inside of it.

"Heh heh! Strangah! She has a picture of you in here!" Leon looked up at the merchant. Indeed, Claire did have a picture of Leon. He was standing by a fountain with his R.P.D. uniform on. He looked so young in the picture. Leon smiled.

"What's that for?" he asked.

"Just a little reminder so I don't forget what you look like," replied Claire. The merchant dug into the wallet and pulled out his bills. "Wow you carry a lot of cash, strangah. This'll do! Heh heh! Thank you!" He tucked the cash into his pocket and handed Claire her wallet and a can.

"Here, lift up your shirt," she said. Leon did so. His entire torso was painted red. Claire nearly gagged. "Wait! We need to clean this!"

"I have just the thing, strangah!" said the merchant as he pulled out a small bottle of rubbing alcohol. "This'll do just the thing!"

"Tell you what. Forget the alcohol. Come on Leon, let's find a bathroom." Leon nodded and he followed Claire down the hall and around the corner. The three remaining survivors just stood there. The merchant stared at the other two with his coat open.

"So...what're ya buyin?"

-

2 hours later...

-

Link walked out of the bathroom still drying his hair with his towel.

"Man, I haven't felt that good since I got home. Hahaha!" he laughed to himself. He looked about his room.

Everything was the way he left it save for the bloody footprints by the front door. The glass door leading to the balcony outside was letting the sun warm up the room. Link's shoes were in a corner and still drying from the water. His clothes were in the wash. ROB would take care of them for him. His sword, shield and other weapons were scattered on a nearby table. He smiled at his shirtless self in the mirror. "Hey there!" he said to the handsome Hylian.

_Hi! Good to see you're back!_" replied the reflection. Link pulled on a pair of jeans and threw his towel on his dresser. He then fell onto his soft comforter and stared up at the ceiling.

"_What a night. It feels like forever since I've been back here_," he thought. He closed his eyes and then began to relax. "_I wonder where Leon and the others are_?" Suddenly there was a soft knock at the door.

"Link? You there?" asked a voice from the other side. Link got off his bed and went to his dresser.

"Yeah, hang on a second, Sam," he said as he pulled out a plain white t-shirt from his drawer. He slipped it over himself and checked his face in the mirror. He licked the tip of his finger and slicked back his hair. "How do I look?" he asked his reflection.

"_Better than you did 3 hours ago_," replied the Hylian in the mirror.

"That's all I needed to hear," he said as he made his way to the door and opened it. Samus stood in the doorway not in her zero suit but in a black t-shirt with the words "Disturbed" written across the chest in red. She was wearing tight jeans and dark red running shoes. Her hair was loose and past her shoulders. Link stuttered when he saw her. He had never seen her without her hair in a pony tail before. Man did she ever look cute. "Uh...H-Hi," he choked. She smiled back.

"I can still see the wrinkles in your skin. How long were you in the shower?" she asked.

"About an hour. I couldn't get that smell out of me. Those stitches Mario put on my chest didn't help either." Samus giggled. Link stared at her for a while before jumping back into reality. "Um, won't you come in?" he asked.

"Can't. That's what I came here to tell you about. Leon and the others will be leaving soon. Let's go see them off," she replied.

"Alright." Link shut his door and they both walked down the hallway to the front entrance. "So how's everyone else doing?" he started.

"They're all just fine. I'm surprised. I didn't think any of them could have handled what went on in the city."

"I'm surprised _we_ could handle it." Samus gave a small laugh.

"Yeah. I think Zelda's still in the Doc's office, though."

"Really? How come?" asked the Hylian as they turned a corner.

"She's infected." Link came to a stop and Samus continued. She turned around when she noticed he wasn't walking anymore.

"Zelda...is infected?" he said slowly.

"Yes...I know it's hard to bear. I don't know what's going to happen to her. Mario's still running some tests."

"But, that means she could turn into one of those monsters we saw in the city!"

"He's still not sure about that. We're going to have to wait for an answer. In any case, there's nothing we can do about it. We have no choice but to be patient." Link and Samus continued their walk in silence until they made it outside the mansion.

There were two choppers in a clearing in the parking lot. Samus' and Captain Falcon's ships were off to the side, still in need of a good cleaning. Both choppers were black with the Super Smash Bros. insignia on the side of it in red. The propellers were currently not moving. Leon, Claire, the merchant, Todd and Dana were standing nearby. All of their clothes, except the merchant's, were washed and cleaned and most of their cuts and bruises were gone. Todd still had the scar on his nose. They were staring up at the large machines before them.

"When he said he'd get us a cab, I had no idea he meant it like this..." said Claire in awe. Link and Samus approached the group from behind.

"You leaving so soon?" asked Link. The humans turned around to face the couple.

"We have to. We're not allowed to stay here much longer," said Leon plainly. The pilots of the two choppers jumped down of the cockpit and onto the ground. They were wearing black suits and a helmet that covered their face.

"We've got orders from Master Hand to take you to where you want to go. We will be departing in five minutes," said one of the pilots as they both gave a salute.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye," said Leon as he held out his hand. Link grasped it and they shook.

"It's been an honor, Leon," replied Link.

"Same here."

"Will I ever get to see you again?" They let go.

"Maybe." Leon pulled out a scrap piece of paper from his pocket and scribbled something on it with a black pen. He handed the paper to Link. Link scanned it twice before speaking.

"What's this?"

"My number. If you ever wind up in a situation like Raccoon City, call me. I'll be there."

"Okay. Thank you, Leon." Link folded and pocketed the paper. Claire walked up to him.

"Link, thank you for all that you've done. Without you, I...I don't know if we ever would have made it out alive," she said.

"Same to you, Claire," he replied. They both hugged each other as a way of saying good-bye. Link then turned to Todd. "I'm...sorry with what happened to Van. Had I known he was in trouble I would have-"

"It's okay. There's nothing we can do about it now. He's dead. That's all there is to it," he replied. Todd shook Link's hand briefly and he went to the second chopper with the pilot. As Link turned to Dana, he nearly jumped when he felt her embrace him.

"Thank you so much!" she cried. Link stood there and looked at Samus who just laughed.

"Um, your welcome," was all he could say. She let go of him and wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'll never forget you," she said. Link smiled.

"Heh, I usually tend to have that effect on people." She smiled back and she went to the chopper Todd was on. The chopper started and lifted itself off the ground. It took off and headed towards the south.

"_Good-bye Dana. I'll remember_."

"Hey strangah! Where's my hug?" said the merchant.

"You expect him to hug you even when you refused to change your clothes, let alone take a shower?" said Leon from behind him.

"Um, he's got a point. How about we shake hands?" suggested Link.

"It's all the same to me, strangah." Link got goosebumps when he felt the man's greasy hands on his. The merchant squeezed tightly and Link endured the grossness of the situation. After a few seconds, Link let go and wiped his hand on his jeans. The merchant just laughed.

"You'll pay for that," said Link.

"Oh, strangah! That reminds me!" The merchant turned around to face Leon and Claire. "It's time to pay up, strangah." Leon realized he was talking to him.

"Pay up?"

"Aye, strangah. Or do you forget that you bought all that stuff off a me when we were in the city?"

"Oh...I remember," said Leon. Unfortunately, Leon knew how much he had to pay. And there was no way he would be able to come up with that kind of money anytime soon.

"You give me the cash, and I'll be on my way, strangah." Claire gave an angry glare at him.

"You want him to pay even after going through all that?"

"Like I said before, pretty lady, I only do business."

"He saved your life in that city!"

"I know, but with _my_ weapons. It's only fair he pays up, strangah." Leon clenched his fists. He couldn't take it anymore. He slugged the merchant right square in the nose. The merchant flew back into Link's arms. Link dropped him instantly as soon as he caught him.

"You don't know how good that felt," said Leon. The merchant was getting up to his feet.

"Nice punch, strangah," he said as he wiped the blood from his nose. "But you're forgettin'. I'm infected. I can't die. No matter how much you throw at me, I'll still keep coming back for more until I get what you owe. Face it strangah. You can't win." Leon and Claire just stared at the creepy man and then at each other. They were both thinking the same thing. The two of them booked it to the first chopper.

"Come on!" said Leon to the pilot. The pilot jumped into the cockpit and started the chopper. Leon and Claire quickly boarded. "Good-bye Link and Samus! Hopefully I get to see you again soon! Give our regards to the others!" called Leon as he slammed the door shut. The chopper lifted up and sped over the forest to the east. The merchant's eyes got wide.

"Wait strangah! Don't forget about me!" he hollered as he attempted to follow the chopper by foot. The merchant soon disappeared into the forest. Link and Samus just stood there for a while before bursting into laughter.

"Ha ha! Do you think he'll ever catch up?" said Link.

"Hmm. I doubt it. But if he does, Leon will know what to do with him," she replied.

"Heh, yeah." They stood in the parking lot together and watched the chopper disappear into the clouds. It felt like such a long time since they first walked in that city. The dreaded Raccoon City. And now they were finally back where they belong. Link chuckled to himself quietly.

"Hm? What's so funny?" asked Samus. Link opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I just remembered. I've still got John's shotgun."

-

**Author's Note:** This story is coming to a close. There will be two more chapters after this one to conclude my tale. There will be a sequel and a triquel as well. So...what do you guys think? This is the first installment to my new Dark Series which will contain three parts all together. I'm also going to work on the Light Series which compliments the Dark stories. Resident Evil is so awesome, you Smash Bros fans have no idea. Fortunately, I'm a fan of both. And that's a weird combination. Please review. You know you want to.


	21. Todd and Dana

Into the Dark

Chapter 21: Todd and Dana

Samus sighed when she examined her ship. It was a complete wreck. Several charred marks of ash lined the ship's exterior plating. The main viewer had a black substance covering the top portion of it. Dent marks could be spotted here and there on the side of the ship. Samus stood there puzzled thinking about where she should start first. Link put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'll help you," he said. She smiled at him.

"Thanks. You're sweet," she replied as she gave him a small peck on the cheek. "But those guys should be helping us out. I mean, it's not fair that we should do all the work." As if on cue, Ike and Lucario walked out of the mansion doors. Ike was dragging Snake behind him. Both of them were out of their battle uniforms and were wearing casual clothes.

"I don't want to help! You can't make me!" Snake wined.

"Give it a rest, Snake. Seriously, I thought you were a serious kind of guy. This little act you've put on has gone far enough!" said Ike. As the three of them approached Samus in the parking lot, Solid Snake pulled himself together.

"Heh, sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."

"Uh...huh..." muttered Link.

"I'm glad you guys decided to help out with this thing," said Samus. "It's going to need a good cleaning after going through all that hell."

"Tell me about it," replied Ike.

"Well, we best get to work then," said Link.

"Right. Link, you can help me on the inside. As for you three, go into the garage and see if you can find some stuff to clean this plating," said Samus as she tapped her hand on the side of her ship.

"Oh, so you two get to relax in there while we get stuck with the grunt work..." said Snake. Samus gave him a glare and he backed off. "Just kidding! Come on guys, let's get to work." They went back to the mansion to get their supplies. Link chuckled before Samus gave him a friendly punch in the arm.

"I'm sorry. It's just so funny."

"Yeah yeah." They both boarded the ship.

Link stretched out his arms as they both entered the main deck. There were several blood stains on the floor, walls and open beds. It gave Link a chill considering that no zombie even set foot on the inside of Samus' ship. The smell of raw blood pinched at Samus' nose as she held it tight.

"Man, it reeks in here," she said under her breath. Link smelt it too but he fought it back.

"Yeah, this place is definitely going to need a hose down," he replied. Samus walked over to her room and inspected it. It was a complete wreak.

"Ugh! I should have killed that merchant when I had the chance!" she screamed. Link looked in and saw what she was so mad about. Her drawers and the closet were thrown open and a variety of clothes were scattered about the floor. Her bed was flipped upside down, almost as if someone had been trying to see what was underneath it. The missing door didn't help with the situation either.

"Samus, calm down. There's nothing you can do about it now. All we can do is clean up what we can," he said. Samus clenched her fists.

"Next time I run into that guy, I swear, I'm going to knock him so hard he'll drop all the shit he carries in that coat!" Link didn't reply. He just exited the room and left Samus to mourn over her loss.

Link decided to busy himself with the bloody beds on the side. He started pulling off the red sheets and throwing them on the floor in a pile. He could here Samus smashing stuff and cursing from her quarters.

"_She'll calm down. No worries, she's just venting_," he thought. As he pulled off the last sheet, he noticed a small photograph sitting on the thin mattress. He lifted it up and inspected it closely. In the picture, Leon was giving Claire a piggy back ride in front of a lovely maple tree. They were both laughing happily. Link stared at the picture smiling.

"_Leon must have dropped this_," he thought. "_I'll call him and tell him later._" Link tucked the photo into his pocket and continued his little cleanup session. He picked up the pile of stained sheets and brought them down the exit ramp.

He tossed them to the side of the ship and noticed Snake, Ike and Lucario walking back with sponges, brushes, buckets and soap. Snake nearly dropped his bucket of water as he stumbled on a loose stone.

"Hey, good to see you didn't ditch us," said Link.

"Well, I was going to, but I figured you could use some extra hands," replied Snake.

"Which is strange coming from you, considering you didn't want to help in the first place," said Lucario.

"I think Samus wants you to clean the entire outside of the ship. You should ignore any dents. We can fix those up later. Just clean off all that black stuff up there and over there. Don't forget to get underneath it to," insturucted the Hylian.

"Aye-aye, 'captain'," replied Snake. The three of them got to work as Link boarded the ship again. He passed by Samus' quarters and took a peak inside. Samus was organizing all her clothes into different piles on her bed.

"_Well at least she's getting somewhere._" Link started folding the beds back into the walls. Something was underneath the last bed as he lifted it up. A bloody double barrelled shotgun lay idly on the floor. "_This was John's..._" thought Link as he lifted the heavy weapon. He made sure to keep it away from his shirt. He didn't need to change his clothes a second time. There were two shells left in the weapon. He stood there with the gun for a few seconds before walking back to Samus' room.

"Hey Sam, do you have a cloth I could borrow?" he asked from the doorway.

"Just use this," she replied without even looking at him. Samus tossed him a small blue shirt that was torn on one side. Link shrugged his shoulders as he examined it and walked outside. Ike was standing near the exit ramp and cleaning it with a wet sponge. Link walked over his work area and down to the pavement.

"Hey Ike, can I borrow some of that water?" asked Link as he motioned towards the red bucket next to the swordsman.

"Sure. I don't care," he replied.

"Hey watch out!" cried Snake from the roof. Ike looked up as a huge bucket of water fell onto his face. Snake poked his head out from the top of the ship down at the wet smasher. "Heh. Um, sorry about that..." Ike pulled the bucket off his head. He pointed a wet finger up at the mercenary.

"I told you to quit fooling around up there!" he barked.

"I'm not! It was an accident I swear!" replied Snake. Ike chucked the bucket up to the mercenary. Snake dodged it and it flew past his head. It came down and landed on Lucario's head who was on the other side of the ship.

"Ahh! What is this!?" he cried. Snake started laughing while Ike cursed. Link just dipped his cloth in the red bucket and walked back on the ship. He sat down in the co-pilot's seat and began to polish the weapon in his hands.

The soap was making some of the blood come off, but it was difficult. Link had to scrub very hard. Eventually, he was able to see the fine metal in the barrel shine back at him. He also noticed a series of letters through the blood. Some of it was cut off but he could make out the words.

"J st in ca e..."

Link said the sentence in his head over a few times.

"_Just in case..._"

The thought of John entered his head. He could still here his voice.

"_Use the Molotov cocktail now, boy!_"

Link remembered holding the green bottle in his hands. He remembered seeing that rotting hand appear in front of his face. The bleeding faces of the undead. The horrible stench of rotting flesh. Link tried to reject the thought but the images kept coming at him. The Tyrant...the lickers...the giant centipede...Orlow... Link rubbed the gun even harder with the cloth. He felt so happy to be home, but the memories of Raccoon City still haunted him. He couldn't escape the fact that he almost died in there.

"_I'm sorry John. I couldn't save you..._"

Link remembered that it was his bright idea that got John killed in the first place. Had he not said to jump out the window, John could still be alive. But could they have survived a horde of zombies on their own? Could they have matched the strength of those lickers? Would fighting have been a better alternative to running away? John's life could have been saved. Link discovered something he would regret for the rest of his life. He dropped the cloth on the floor and carried the shotgun out of the ship. He passed by Ike who noticed him walking towards the mansion.

"Hey Link. Where you going?" he asked.

"Um, I'll be right back. Just got to put something away," he replied. Link ran up the front steps and through the door. He carried his weapon up the stairs and down the halls.

"Hey Link! What's up?" greeted Sonic as he passed by the blue hedgehog.

" Can't talk right now, Sonic," said Link as he turned the corner. Link unlocked the door to his room and set the gun on the table next to his equipment. He went over to the fire place. He stood still for a moment and looked at the black wood inside. He then cleared the trophies of his mantle by putting them on the table. When it was all clear, Link lifted up Johns gun and set it on the mantle. Some blood stains could still be seen on the side of the gun.

"_Just in case_..."

He stared at the gun for a while, remembering all the horrors he endured in that city. He felt like he should do something about it. He realized that the outbreak was no natural accident. Someone was responsible for the deaths of those people. For the deaths of John and Van. Link clenched his fists.

"_But who could have the power to do something so sinister_?" he thought. "_If only Leon was here_..." Link thought about calling Leon but rejected the thought. "_I can't bug him now. He's probably tired_." Link closed his eyes.

"_Orlow couldn't be the one responsible could he? Those Illuminados or whatever they're called. They could be the ones behind it all. No that can't be. There must be some other organization. Something much larger_..." Link opened his eyes and read out the words on the gun.

"_Just in case_..."

He closed his eyes again.

"_There must have been hints somewhere! Some sort of sign or message that I'm missing_!" Link thought back to what happened earlier that night. About what happened immediately after Snake's 'death'.

_Link, Mike, Dana and John were all in an abandoned room. Mike was sitting in a chair while Dana was on the floor. Samus was in the bathroom. John was sitting on the sofa. Link recalled what John said. _

_"You don't know do you?" he said frowning. Mike shook his head. "And you? John asked Link who shook his head as well. _

If we knew this was going to happen, do you think we would have come here?" Link's stomach made a subtle rumble. He just remembered, he hasn't eaten since lunchtime. It doesn't help that he threw up earlier too. He wanted to go downstairs to see if there was any food lying around, but he wanted to stick around in case John said something useful. The sound of water stopped and Samus emerged from the bathroom, her face clean of all sweat and her hands washed of blood and dirt. Dana made her way to the bathroom and locked the door. Whatever John was going to say, she didn't want to hear it. John took a deep breath and relaxed himself.

"10 years ago, this city had endured the same shit you see out there," he started.

"Wait. You mean this has happened before?" Samus asked standing next to Link.

"Yes, though it wasn't as bad. September 1998. That's when it happened. That's when this city was struck by evil in pure form." Mike crossed his legs and directed all his attention toward the bartender. Link was feeling uneasy.

"It all started when these random murders started occurring all over the city, similar to what happened now. No one knew who was responsible for these murders. The only clue that the R.P.D. could work with was the fact that the victims were 'eaten' alive. Pretty soon weird creatures started wandering around the city, killing innocent people and turning them into one of them." Link and Samus nodded. "In a matter of days, the situation became too great for the police to handle. Even special agents sent by Umbrella themselves could not stop the monsters."

Link snapped back into reality stared at the weapon on his mantle.

Umbrella...it's them..." he said quietly. Link continued to stare at the weapon.

"_They started the whole thing. It's their fault for the outbreak. Their fault for the virus. Their fault for their deaths_." Link looked down at the trophies and his equipment. "_I have to do something about it. I can't just stay here when so many people's lives are at stake. If Umbrella is as powerful as John said they were, and if they're still alive_..." Link looked out the window at the clear sky. "_I'll figure it out after the tournament. That way I'll have some time to think_."

Link walked out of the room and back to the parking lot to help the others clean up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dana climbed up on top of a pile of rubble.

_This used to be my high school..._" she thought. The sun shined brightly down at what was left of Raccoon City. The entire area had been closed off for a week after the explosion due to nuclear radiation. Finally, the clean-up committee was allowed to fulfill their duties. Dana had joined the group recently after the outbreak. She made her way down the broken streets. Crumbled buildings and demolished cars lay all around her.

_Anything we can salvage or find. That's what they told us._" Dana clawed her way through the wreckage of cement. "_Here's where the R.P.D. used to be. The pinnacle of Raccoon. Now nothing more than a pile of metal and rock_." She walked on to the area that used to be the main hall and began digging her gloved hands through the rock. "_There must be something here_." She stood up when she heard a loud sound come from behind her. Someone was driving a bulldozer up to the scene. The man in the vehicle gave a wave to her and she waved back.

_He can handle this when I'm done_." Dana resumed her digging expedition. She lifted large rocks out of the way for her view. She started getting tired after a few minutes. It was a hot day in July. She had forgotten to bring water with her. She continued to search for something, anything. Her hopes rose when she found a blue cover to a book. Digging around it revealed it to be a diary left by someone.

_This is someone's who worked here_." The front and back covers were all dirty, but the interior pages were still in good working condition. Dana dusted the book and brought it out of the work area. She gave a wave to the bulldozer driver to signal she was done with the area. The man replied with a wave and started to shovel boulders. Dana got out of the site and into a clearer space. When she was far enough from the other workers, she opened the diary to the first page. Someone's name was written in the top right corner.

Cheryl Macgee."

One of the secretary's that worked at the R.P.D. Dana searched for a phone number or some other form of identification, but found none. She flipped to the next page and began to read it.

_May 7, 2008_

_This new diary is much more nicer than my crumby old one. I'm glad I picked it up. Now, to start where I left off. Nothing much changed since last week. Irons is still being an ass. I don't get it. Sometimes he in a good mood, while others he'll be so mean I can't even stand him! Why am I cursed to work under this guy? Oh well, nothing I can do about it. This is a good paying job. I don't need to lose it._

Dana flipped to the next page.

_May 12, 2008_

_I'm not feeling so well today. I'll probably call in sick tomorrow. About time too considering I haven't missed a days work since I started working here. I gotta learn to relax._

Next few pages.

_May 28, 2008_

_I was talking to Charlie earlier today. He was acting pretty strange. He didn't look very well either. He couldn't stop scratching himself as we were talking. It was kind of creeping me out. Must be some kind of rash he has or something. Better stay away from him until he's better._

Next page.

_May 30, 2008_

_Charlie's getting worse and worse every day that passes now. The scratching hasn't stopped. Not only that but I've noticed that he only eats meat at lunch. And the meat in the cafeteria isn't the best thing for you, especially when your always eating it. He says it makes him feel better. I don't understand how that works. He's also started to speak slower. He's not using the big words like 'incompetence' anymore. He always loved saying that about other people but lately, he's been having trouble with it. That sickness he has better clear up soon._

Next page.

_June 6, 2008_

_There are some reported murders coming up all over the city. I have no idea what it's all about. Nothing I should worry about. I mean, I do work at the R.P.D. It's one of the safest places in Raccoon. But why do I feel so scared? I can't let those feelings get to me._

Next page.

_June 10, 2008_

_Charlie's been getting hungrier and hungrier as the day goes on. He even insisted on taking a bite out of me. Of course I knew he was joking. At least I think he was._

Next page. It had blood smeared on it but the ink could be read.

_June 16, 2008_

_Oh my God I can't believe what happened! Charlie actually bit me! My shoulder is bleeding like crazy and it can't stop! I've locked myself in my office, but he's trying to get in! He won't stop making growling sounds! What's wrong with him?! Shit! He's coming in! I can't_

The words broke off. There was nothing left of the diary. Dana closed it and stood still for a moment.

_My God. What happened to this city? It used to be so fun. So pure. And now..." Dana's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bulldozer. She sighed. "I should show this to someone. Or maybe I'll keep it to myself. I don't know what to do." She thought about James and Mike and their sacrifices they made for her. "Why did they do it for me? I never did anything for them. So what drove them to save me?" She looked back down at the diary in her hands. _

_I'll take it back to my family in Canada. They have to know what happened. They have to know. This can't be kept a secret from anyone. The world must know about the virus. They have to know."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Todd wandered through the crowded terminal. People and objects pushed him here and there. But he fought back to stay on track. He had to know the truth. Todd covered his eyes as the sun crashed into his view. He shoved his way out of the crowd and sat down in a blue seat. He leaned back and stretched. He didn't expect the airport to be so packed with people. Everyone was looking for their loved ones. Those who survived the outbreak. Todd's eyes dashed from one angle to another. He saw mothers reuniting with their children. He saw sons hugging their fathers. He saw families together again. His situation glared in contrast.

_Linda...are you there?_" he thought. Todd looked out the huge window at a plane that was taking off. "_You can't be gone. I've come too far for you to be gone. Can't God take pity on me? Can't He see that I love you?_" Todd reached into his jean pocket and pulled out his black wallet. He pulled out a picture of his wife and sons. They were all in dress clothes and smiling at the camera. A tear came to Todd's eye. "_Oh God...why?..._"

Hey you okay?" said a strange voice.

Todd looked up to see a young man in a blue denim jacket sitting in the seat next to him. The stranger had a black cap covering his eyes and was holding a newspaper. His legs were crossed and his brown casuals glared cleanly up at Todd. The man smelled of cheap cologne and had a small pony tail dangling down the back of his brown hair. He had very pale skin. The young man did not look at Todd but kept focused on his newspaper.

You okay?" repeated the man. Todd hesitated for a second.

"_He's not a zombie! Get over yourself! He's just an honest citizen trying to help you out! Answer him already!_"

Um...yeah..." muttered Todd as he stared at his photo.

"...You sure?" asked the man. Todd turned to the shaded man.

"Well...I...no...I'm not," he answered. Todd couldn't believe he was expressing his feelings to a stranger.

"You lose your family?" asked the man.

"No. Well, yes. I can't seem to find them here anywhere." Todd looked up at the people walking by. "I don't know if they made it out or not."

"And by 'they'..."

"My wife and two sons. I...don't know where they are."

"Don't get yourself down. It's not your fault."

"You're right. All I can do is pray." The two sat there in silence for a few minutes. Todd occasionally looked down at the photo and back up at the moving crowd, hoping to spot his family somewhere. Unfortunately, they were no where to be seen.

"I'm...sorry for your loss," said the man.

"Thanks. You're a nice guy." Todd sat up and held out his hand. "I'm Todd Lawrence. It's nice to meet you." The stranger grasped his hand and they shook.

"Billy. Likewise." Billy's eyes were still covered by the cap but Todd tried to look through it. No luck though.

"Just Billy? Don't you have a last name?" asked Todd.

"Yes. It's...uh...Smith. Billy Smith."

"Smith? Billy Smith? That's an odd combination."

"You're one to talk." The both of them chuckled as they got more comfortable with each other's company. Billy even put down his newspaper.

"So, did you lose anyone in the outbreak?" asked Todd.

"No. Fortunately. I don't have that many relatives."

"Oh." Todd looked back at the crowd. Still, his family was not there. As he turned back to Billy, Todd noticed red markings on Billy's wrist.

"_Wonder what happened to him?_" he thought. "So what are you waiting for if you have no family here?" asked Todd.

I'm waiting for my plane. Won't be for another hour now because the flight was delayed."

"Oh. Where you off to?"

"Anywhere but here. From my perspective, the farther I get away from Raccoon City, the better off I'll be."

"I see what you mean." They both stared back at the crowd. The number of people here was beginning to die down. Todd was beginning to have doubts about his families survival.

"_If only I was with them! If only I was there!_"

How did you survive the outbreak?" asked Billy. Todd felt uneasy with this question.

"Um...why do you want to know?"

"Got nothing better to talk about. Plus I've got a lot of time to kill. Were you evacuated with the rest of the survivors?"

"_Should I tell him about Link and the others?_" Todd thought. "_No. I can't. I mustn't. I'm going to have to stretch the truth_."

Um, a soldier saved me," answered Todd.

"A soldier? Sent by who?"

"Uh, what was it? Umbrella I think." Billy seemed surprised.

"Umbrella? Really? I didn't think they cared..."

"Yep. Well, one soldier managed to save my sorry butt from the monsters. We escaped by chopper and well...here I am."

"I see. You got lucky then."

"Yeah. I just hope my family is okay." After that conversation, Todd was thinking about Van. He couldn't get him out of his head.

"_I'm not about to go back on my word..._"

Why did he do it? Why did he save him?

_Why? I wasn't worth it! All I did was bring the team down! But he...he risked his life just to save me. And now....he's..._" Todd felt the tears return to his eyes. He felt so low. From his perspective, it felt like he killed Van.

Hey, what's wrong?" asked Billy.

"Nothing," replied Todd as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I just miss my family that's all."

"I know how that feels."

"You said you didn't have a family."

"I don't. It doesn't mean that I never did."

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it. If that's okay with you."

"Um, yeah. Sure, Billy."

They continued to sit in silence and stare at the passing people. It was getting late. As the number of reunited families started to decrease, Todd got more and more anxious.

Now departing for Denver, Colorado," said a female voice over the intercom. Billy stood up.

"That's my cue to get out of here. It was nice talking to you Todd," he said.

"Yeah...same Billy." Billy tipped his hat and took a step into the crowd. He paused for a moment before turning back to the civilian.

"Hey Todd."

"Yeah?"

"I lied. My last name isn't Smith. It's Coen. My name is Billy Coen."

"Really?" Todd didn't get a reply. Before he knew it, Billy had merged into the crowd and disappeared. Todd sat by himself in the seat for a while.

"_Billy Coen. That name doesn't ring a bell. But he was a nice guy all the same_."

Todd reached over to Billy's newspaper he left and skimmed through it. Hours passed and still Todd waited in his seat. He didn't even feel like going to the bathroom. All he wanted was his family back. Was it so much to ask? Soon, it got dark, and the terminal he was in was completely empty. The large lights on the ceiling still glared down at him, but he remained where he sat. The newspaper was in pieces on the floor.

That's it then. They're dead. My life is over..." he said quietly. Todd started crying. The tears fell on to the green carpet beneath his feet. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Please." He continued to cry. Memories of his past life flashing through his head.

"Why is it so hard? Why? WHY?!" he shouted. Todd stood up and kicked the chair hard. The seat flew up in the air and landed on the floor on it's side. He grabbed a magazine on a table and tore it to shreds. "Damn you! GOD DAMN YOU!" he screeched. He thrashed about in the lobby, but no one was there to watch him. He was all alone. All alone. That was when he heard it.

"Todd?"

Todd stopped what he was doing and looked around. Someone had called him. Someone in the darkness had said his name.

Todd? Is that you?"

Todd turned to the angelic voice. He froze on the spot when he saw who it belonged to. He dropped to is knees.

Linda..." Linda stood in the terminal holding two boys by their hands. Both of them were young. She was wearing a bright yellow summer dress and her hair was let down loosely.

"Todd..." she said. Todd's eyes got wide.

"Linda....you're....alive..." he choked. He got up and ran to his family. Todd embraced his wife and didn't let go. He started crying into her shoulder. "I thought you were dead! My God I thought you were dead!" he cried.

"I'm alright dear! I'm just glad you're safe!" she said as she started crying too. "After that explosion in the city I thought you were done for!" Todd looked at her beautiful blue eyes.

"I'm sorry we got separated," he said.

"It's okay. As long as we're together, that's all that matters now," she replied. Todd lifted up both of his boys and hugged them both tightly.

"I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!" he said as he kissed his sons on the head.

"Daddy! You're back!" they said. Todd never felt so happy in his life. He put down his sons and hugged his wife again.

"Todd, what happened to your nose?" she asked as she examined him. Todd remembered about the scar and Van. He paused for a moment before responding.

"A friend gave it to me. Come on, let's go home. I'll tell you about it later." They both kissed each other under the light and left the airport. For the first time in one week since the outbreak, Todd felt complete. Todd felt love.

-

**Author's Note:** One chapter to go! I'm so excited I feel like typing it out right now! But I need a break. I'm sure you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks to my reviewers again!


	22. The New Tournament

Into the Dark

Chapter 22: The New Tournament

Link closed the large doors behind him. He stared at all the smashers sitting in the council room around the long table.

"Hey Link!" called Samus. Link recognized the sound of his friend's voice and took a seat next to her and Snake.

"So what's all this about?" asked the Hylian.

"Master Hand said he was going to start a new tournament remember?" replied the bounty hunter.

"I don't recall."

"Well, then just wait and see." Link put his elbows on the wooden table and glanced around the room. All the smashers were talking amongst themselves about personal matters. Everyone was in their battle gear, meaning Link was back in his washed tunic. Samus was in her zero suit.

"_Been a while since I've been here_," thought Link. "_In the council room_."

The council room was where plans were made about up coming tournaments or other important events. The walls were lined with various pictures of the smashers. Expensive chandeliers dangled from the ceiling. Several lit candles were laid out on the table. The sun shined in from the open windows as a cool breeze swept up the blinds in an unordered fashion. Link sighed.

"_It's sure is great to be alive_."

"Hey Link! How's it going?" said Snake who realized Link was sitting next to him. Link pulled his arms off the table.

"Just fine, Snake," he replied.

"Fine? Is that it? You should be feeling pumped! A new tournament is going to start!"

"Wait, a _new_ tournament? Aren't we going to continue where the last one left off?"

"Nope. There was a change of plans. Since we all needed more time to recover from the outbreak, Master Hand decided to start a brand new tournament. It's a good thing too, considering that my match was forfeited last time."

"I see." Link looked about the smashers again. They were all acting as if nothing had happened. As if there was no outbreak two weeks ago. He smiled when he saw Zelda sitting at the table between Ike and Ness.

"It's good to see she's okay. _Oh here comes Master Hand_." Master Hand entered from the large double doors behind the large chair at the far end of the table. He floated into his seat and looked at the group before him. He noticed one empty seat near the other end.

"Where's Sonic?" he asked. All the smashers looked about the room. Where was Sonic? "Not here?" continued Master Hand. "Fine, then he can miss out on what I'm about to tell you." Suddenly the doors Link came in through burst open and the blue hedgehog dashed to his seat.

"Heh. Sorry I'm late everybody!" he said.

"You'd think he'd be the first one here because he can run so fast..." said Ganondorf from the other side of the table.

"Hey! I resent that!" replied Sonic.

"You wanna take this outside!?" shouted Ganondorf.

"Love to, Ganon-dork!" replied the hedgehog as he cracked his knuckles.

"Everybody sit down!" shouted the hand. The whole room went silent. "Save it for the arenas," said Master Hand. "I have urgent news to tell you all." The smashers waited patiently. Sonic stuck his tongue out at the king of evil who glared at him. Link rolled his eyes.

"_Some things never change_."

"You are all aware of the new tournament I announced earlier, correct?" asked Master Hand. Some of the brawlers nodded while others said "Yes" or "Yeah." "And you are all aware of the event that took place two weeks ago, correct?" Again, more nods and positive gestures. A few shook their heads in confusion.

"What event?" asked King Dedede. Master Hand paused. Apparently, not all the smashers were informed on the outbreak. But was it okay for them to know the truth? Master Hand rapped his fingers on the table for a few seconds before returning to his normal, floating position.

"There was an accident," he started, "involving a virus that turned people into monsters." All the smashers went quiet. "It occurred in the United States of America in a highly populated city known as Raccoon. There was an outbreak. A plague if you may. A virus that swept across the city and infected residents."

"What-a does-a the virus do exactly?" asked Luigi. Link and Samus wanted to answer the question but kept quiet. They didn't want to remember what happened. How horrifying the experience was. They listened.

"It kills you. And it mutates you into a monster," explained the hand.

"Wait, how can it turn you into a monster if it kills you?" asked Olimar.

"That's the power of the virus. It takes control of your body. Whoever is infected with it..." Master hand looked at Zelda before continuing. "...will have no awareness of what they're doing. They will try to kill any living thing they can get their hands on." All the smashers sat in silence for a while. "A group of you here at this table experienced the destructive powers of this virus when you were in that city." Link, Samus and Captain Falcon put their heads down. "They were all lucky to make it out alive. I...I am grateful that they are okay." Samus looked up at this.

"_So...he does care about us?_..." she thought.

"But the outbreak is not even the worst of it. I was informed by Link. He told me that the culprits behind the outbreak and the creation of the virus are still out there."

"Who are they?" asked Marth.

"A company specializing in pharmaceutical medicines known as Umbrella."

"Umbrella? That's a dumb name," said Sonic ignorantly.

"We're not sure if the unleashing of the virus was intended or not by Umbrella. But we know for a fact that the virus is uncontainable. If it spreads, the whole world could be infected. It could be the end of all civilization as we know it."

"But...the virus could never reach us, could it? I mean, we are pretty secluded from the rest of the world," said Pit.

"True. But that won't stop the virus from getting to us. It can travel in many different ways, some easier to discover than others. The chance of infection is too great."

"So, what do you want us to do?" asked Snake.

"After the tournament. After all the stress has been cleared off my plate. I want you to go and find Umbrella. I want you to destroy them."

Samus laughed. Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"_Why is she laughing_?" thought Link.

"What's so funny, Samus?" asked the gloved hand.

"I just think it's hilarious how a few weeks ago, you were all upset that our lives were put in danger, yet now, when the tournament is done, you'll have all your money. Then you want us to go and take down the very people that put our lives in danger," she said.

"What?"

"I knew it from the start. You don't care about our health. All you want is your damn money." Samus stood up and left the room.

"Hey Samus hold on!" said Link as he stood up. Master Hand was not impressed.

"That girl..." he said.

Link turned away from the glove and followed Samus into the hallway. He saw her walking out the front door. He continued to follow her. She sat on the large steps leading up to the mansion. Samus stared out into the forest surrounding the mansion. Link stood behind her under the heat of the sun.

"Samus..."

"I can't believe him. He still doesn't care about us. Even after all that hell. He still doesn't give a damn about us."

"You can't look at it like that."

"Link, there is no other way to look at it! If it wasn't for the company, Master Hand would have left us for dead in that city!"

"No he wouldn't!"

"Do you think if he cared about us, he would have sent in a search team to come looking for us!? He knows where each and everyone of us are! If he cared about us he would have sent in backup to evacuate us, but no! He'd rather stay here and count his frickin' cash! It makes me sick!" Samus crossed her arms and stared out into the horizon. Link just stood still.

"That can't be. That can't be true..." he said.

"It is, Link. He won't admit it, but it's the truth. He doesn't give a flying shit about us." Link turned to the door behind him to make sure he shut it. He then went over to Samus and sat down on the steps next to her.

"You shouldn't think like that. There was nothing Master Hand could have done to save us anyways," he said trying to convince her. She refused to look at him. Her hair covered her face from his view. Link brushed it out of his way. She slowly turned to him. He smiled at her. "We made it out alive. That's all that matters." Samus hugged him.

"Thank you, Link." Link returned the hug without saying anything. They sat there in that position for what seemed like hours to them. But still, it didn't feel like long enough. Eventually, Snake emerged from the door and saw the couple.

"Hey lover-boy, Master Hand wants you both back in the council room now," he said. Link and Samus wanted to ignore the mercenary, but they knew they had to obey orders. They got to their feet and the three of them made their way back to the room. When they reentered, the smashers were talking again. Master Hand floated patiently in his seat. Link, Samus and Snake all took their seats.

"...and that's why I'm the best fighter here," boasted Sonic.

"What? Because you can't win unless you have a Smash Ball?" said Ganondorf from the other side of the table. Sonic jumped onto the table.

"Okay that's it! You wanna take this outside, tough guy?!" he shouted.

"Hey don't make me come over there!" responded the king of evil.

"Ooh, I'm so scared! The big evil man with bad facial hair is going to come over here and slice me with his sword which he's too afraid to use!" taunted the hedgehog.

"You're pushing it you rat!" replied Ganondorf as he drew out his sword. Sonic started spanking his butt towards Ganon.

"Come on! Hit me!" Ganondorf's eyes flared red. Mr. Game and Watch and Pikachu who were next to him backed away.

"You asked for it!" he cried as he jumped on the table.

"Bring it on!"

"SONIC! GANONDORF!" boomed Master Hand's voice. The hedgehog and the evil lord looked at the hand. "Would you kindly, please take your seats?" he asked in a calm manner. Sonic and Ganon did so but gave each other evil glares. Snake seemed unhappy.

"Aw, why did you have to spoil it? Ganon was about to pulverize him!" he said.

"Wanna run that by me again!?" shouted Sonic.

"He says you're a pussy and you should go hang yourself," muttered Ganondorf. Fortunately, Sonic didn't hear him.

"Please people, this is a serious matter," said Master Hand. He turned to Samus. "Are you okay, Samus?" Samus gave a small nod.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Now, back to business. The new tournament has officially begun today," said the hand.

"Already!? You didn't even give us a heads up!" said Marth.

"I know, but I think it's better that way. You will be fighting the same opponents as last time." Samus and Captain Falcon glanced at each other and then back at Master Hand. "However, there will be some new rules added. Some of you have been complaining about there being too many items on the stage. So, from now on, there will be no appearing items in the brawls. You will fight with one stock only and no time limit. It has been decided that the first match shall begin in one hour."

"Sir, who's fighting first?" asked Link.

"I believe it's Samus and Captain Falcon," replied Master Hand. Samus rolled her eyes.

"Oh, figures..." she muttered.

"Hey how come they get to fight first!?" shouted Bowser arrogantly.

"Because I said so!" replied the hand. "Now all of you get out of here! Link and Samus could I please speak with you for a second?" All the of the smashers filed out of the room. Snake wanted to stay behind but Link insisted that he leave.

"Alright, but you owe me a match when the tournaments done."

"Deal. Now go on." As Snake closed the door behind him, Link and Samus turned to Master Hand who was still floating in his seat. He paused for a few moments before speaking.

"I'm sorry if I offended you, Samus," he said. "I did not mean for you to get upset."

"I know. It's just, I can't stop thinking about what happened in that city. It was so horrific I could barely stay alive. You didn't even believe us at first when we came back. And now that you do, you want us to go and take down Umbrella for good. Just...what are you thinking, Master Hand?" Master Hand paused again, but longer this time. He floated out of his seat and over to the window on the side of the room. He looked out at the little garden outside.

"I have something to tell you two..." he said slowly. Link's ears pricked. He could tell that this was important. Samus leaned forward in her seat and waited patiently. After some more pausing, Master Hand spoke. "I...I already knew about the virus." Samus' eyes got wide.

"Wait...what do you mean you knew about it?" she asked.

"I knew about it long before any of you even set foot in that city. Even before the invasion of the Subspace army, I knew. I...never told any of you about it because I feared for your safety. That's why I never permit anyone to leave the grounds." Samus and Link just stared at him. They all sat in silence for awhile. Thousands of thoughts filtered through their heads.

"So...you knew about the virus the whole time. You knew what it could do. But you never told us..." said Link.

"Yes, but please don't look at it like that. I was only trying to protect you."

"We could have died, yet, you never told us..."

"You must understand, I was only doing what I thought was best for you."

"Do the others know about this?" asked Samus.

"No, and you shouldn't tell them. I only told you because I know that you both went through a lot in that city."

"And what about the others? They were there too. They have a right to know."

"They mustn't know. Not yet."

"This is ridiculous. You knew we were in an infested city. You knew it was dangerous. You refused to send in a rescue team. You want us to go back and take out the people who started the whole thing. And you expect us to fight in a tournament for you? Are you crazy!?" shouted Samus.

"Don't get me started on that again," replied Master Hand who turned to them. "I know it's difficult for you to grasp."

"I don't understand, Master Hand. Why?"

"I told you I feared for your safety."

"If you were really worried about us, you would have told us about the virus a long time ago."

"I don't know what to say. I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

"It doesn't matter anymore," said Link. "It's all in the past."

"He's right. You shouldn't dwindle on your mistakes."

"You mean _your_ mistakes."

"Of course. I don't want to talk about this ever again. At least, not until the tournaments over. Both of you out of here. Now." Link and Samus rose from their seats and left the room. Master Hand turned around and stared out the window.

"Can you believe him! Not even telling us about the virus!" shouted Samus as she stomped down the carpeted hallway.

"I know, but you have to look at it from his perspective. He was probably under a lot of stress," replied Link.

"Maybe..." They continued in silence for a bit. Neither of them had any idea what to do. Not only did they have the weight of the tournament on their shoulders, but also the fact that the Umbrella Corporation was still out there somewhere. Link felt he should make the most of the moment.

"Um...you wanna go for a walk in the courtyard? I mean, before your match?" he asked. Samus hesitated but then she smiled at him.

"I'd love to." They made their way out to the bright courtyard.

All around them, Magnolia trees were coming into bloom. Small, pink petals fell from the branches and danced through the air. The sound of chirping birds was in the background. It made the pair smile to hear the real sound of nature again. They walked hand in hand through the garden. Various types of plant-life brushed over their feet as they walked, but they ignored it. Link led Samus over to a stone bench; the same one that they sat on before the outbreak. They sat together still holding hands and looking about the paradise.

It was a place that was close to home, but seemed so far away from the rest of the world. (**A/N:** This sentence really speaks to me)

She leaned her head on the Hylian's shoulders.

"Link. I'm sorry for the way I acted back there," she said. Link could smell the fruity conditioner in her hair as he continued to stare out at two robins sitting next to each other on a high branch. A pink petal fluttered onto his nose and fell off. He smiled.

"Don't think about it. We've been through so much, yet, it seems we haven't even left. Almost as if it was all a dream," he replied. She snuggled closer to him and giggled.

"Well, if it is a dream, I hope someone doesn't wake me."

"Hmm, me too." He kissed the top of her head and they continued to sit in peace.

"_Out of a nightmare. And into a dream_."

Link sneezed as another petal tickled his nose.

"Excuse me."

"It's okay. Sigh I wish things could stay like this forever."

"Yeah."

"After going through that, I've now come to realize something."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Life's too short."

"Yeah. Actually, I think Falcon realized the same thing after going through that. Maybe he'll learn to treat you with more respect."

"He already has. Somehow, the outbreak had left him a changed man. That's a good thing for all of us."

"I think it changed me, too."

"Really? How?"

"It taught me that I have a lot of good friends in life and I take it all for granted. The tournament, the mansion, the smashers. I've learned to appreciate the things I've been blessed with. Especially you."

"I feel the same." They both sat and stared up at the two robins in the tree.

Things remained like this for the next 10 minutes. Link and Samus spoke to each other about their experiences in the city, the people they met, and the feelings they had. They also exposed their inner feelings for each other. It really did feel like a dream to Link.

"You know, life is hard, but once you get around the flesh-eating zombies, it doesn't seem so bad," said Link. Samus laughed at his joke. She couldn't believe he was really joking about that, but she didn't mind it. The incident was over. The monsters were dead. There was nothing to worry about anymore. At least, that's what they thought...

Master Hand's voice boomed on the intercom system wired throughout the mansion.

"Samus Aran and Captain Falcon please report to the simulation room. Your match shall begin in less than 15 minutes. Anyone who wishes to spectate can attend the upper balcony to view the match. Thank you," he said loudly. Master Hand's controlling voice completely ruined the feeling if romance. She sat up straight and Link stood up. He brushed the petals off his shoulders.

"That guy really knows how to spoil a moment," said Link. He offered a hand to her and she got up.

"Tell me about it. Well, I better go get ready. I don't plan on losing this time," replied Samus.

"Too right. Let's go." Link and Samus went back into the mansion.

"You going to watch me?" asked Samus as they went in through the doors.

"You can count on it," responded the Hylian as he closed them behind him.

"Okay. Better get moving before I get eliminated." Samus turned to face the door.

"Hey Samus." She turned around again.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Samus nodded with a smile and ran off to the simulation room.

"_She'll win. There's no doubt she'll win_."

Link couldn't help but smile as a warm and fuzzy feeling started to build up inside of him.

"Hey Link!" called a familiar voice. Link looked up the huge staircase to see Solid Snake leaning on the rail. "Did Samus hear the announcement?" he asked.

"Yeah. She already left for the match," replied Link from the bottom.

"Well, what are you standing there for, lover-boy? Go watch her!"

"Lover-boy?" said Link blushing a little. Snake slid down the railing and stood before the Hylian.

"Don't try to hide it. I've known you've always had a thing for her," said the mercenary.

"Was it that obvious?"

"No. But that didn't keep me from catching on. I see how you stare at her when her back is turned. How you tend to daydream when you're relaxed."

"How long have you known?"

"Since before the outbreak. The other smashers have already caught on though. Diddy spread a rumor around the mansion about the two of you."

"He did? Ah, whatever. I don't care. They can believe what they want to believe."

"Right. Now the reason why I was waiting in here for you is because I wanted to give you something...What was it now? Oh yeah!" Snake pulled a red pendant the size of his fist out of his pocket. "Here. I want you to have this." Link stared at the jewel in his hand.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. It's some kind of pendant I picked off of one of those Illuminados guys. It's kind of creepy looking because it's shaped like a heart. I don't want it and I already asked Lucario if he wanted it, but he said no. So...you mind taking this thing off my hands?" Link received the heavy pendant and tossed it around in his hand.

"It's pretty heavy," he said.

"I know."

"You sure you don't want it? It looks pretty valuable."

"Yeah, I was thinking about selling it, but I thought one of you guys might want it. Kind of as a reminder why we shouldn't go to the States ever again. Know what I mean?"

"Yes. I know."

"Well good! I'm going to go watch Samus and Falcon's fight. It'll be intense!"

"Hey, could you wait for me? I want to put this away."

"Okay, well hurry up. I'll wait here for you."

Link ran up the large set of stairs and down the halls. The jewel in his hand was heavy but it didn't encumber his running speed. After turning a corner, he stopped in front of his room and unlocked the door. He looked about the room. Everything was where it should be. John's shotgun rested on the mantle place. Link looked at the heart in his hand. He could see his reflection smiling back at him.

"Hey Link! What's taking so long! The match is going to start soon!" called Snake from down the hall.

"I'll be right there!" replied Link. Link went over to his nightstand. He looked out the window at the clear blue sky again.

"_Life is good_."

He set the pendant on the nightstand next to the picture of Leon and Claire and ran out of the room.

-

**Author's Note:** And so concludes my story. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Anyone who wants to critique can go right ahead. Also, if you critique, I won't mind any constructive criticism. As for the rest of you readers, I've made a special bonus chapter you can look at if you're bored. But for those of you who don't want to venture any further, I'll take this opportunity to thank every one of my readers and reviewers. Thank you all!


	23. EXTRAS

EXTRAS

Hey there! So you decided to keep reading! You must like this story a lot! So, as I said before, this chapter is not an extension nor is it a sneak peak at the sequel. If you want to see the sequel, you'll have to wait for it!

**Theme Music**

"The Night" by Disturbed

If you don't know the song, I have the lyrics down there. It's a really good song and you'll see why it relates to the theme of my story, Darkness.

**"The Night" Lyrics**

What has come over me

What madness taken hold of my heart

To run away, the only answer

Pulling me away

To fall upon the night

The source of my recovery

Sweet shadow taking hold of the light

Another day has been devoured

Calling me away, begging the question

Why

For saving me from all they've taken

Letting my armor fall again

Giving me the strength to face them

Feeling it taking over now

On a path to take it all away

There can be no better way of knowing

_[Chorus]_

In a world beyond controlling

Are you going to deny the savior

In front of your eyes

Stare into the night

Power beyond containing

Are you going to remain a slave for

The rest of your life

Give into the night

This self discovery

Redemption taking hold of my mind

A serenade of haunting voices

Calling me away

To feast upon the night

So much felicity

Dark maiden taking hold of my hand

Lead me away from hibernation

Strong and unafraid

Never a question why

For saving me from all they've taken

Letting my armor fall again

Giving me the strength to face them

Feeling it taking over now

I'm about to take it away

There can be no better way of knowing

_[Chorus]_

In a world beyond controlling

Are you going to deny the savior

In front of your eyes

Stare into the night

Power beyond containing

Are you going to remain a slave for

The rest of your life

Give into the night

_[Guitar Solo]_

Give in to the night

_[Chorus]_

In a world beyond controlling

Are you going to deny the savior

In front of your eyes

Stare into the night

Power beyond containing

Are you going to remain a slave for

The rest of your life

Give into the night

Night _[x3]_

Give into the Night

Night _[x3]_

Give into the Night _[x2]_

**Credits**

(cue theme music)

Super Smash Bros. characters, themes, and ideas by Nintendo and Hal Laboratories

Resident Evil monsters, characters, places and names by Capcom

Solid Snake and Metal Gear by Konami

Sonic the Hedgehog, characters, themes, etc by Sega

Some OC's are based off actual people

**Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Cast**

Link

Samus

Snake

Ike

Zelda/Sheik

Captain Falcon

Ness

Lucas

Meta Knight

Lucario

Fox

Falco

Master Hand

Mario

Pit

Ganondorf

Sonic

Marth

Olimar

Peach

Diddy Kong

King Dedede

Kirby

Luigi

Bowser

Wario

Yosih

Donkey Kong

ROB

Ice Climbers

Pokemon Trainer (Red)

Pikachu

Jugglypuff

Wolf

Mr. Game & Watch

Toon Link

The Subspace Army

**Locations and Names from Super Smash Bros. Brawl**

Battlefield

Samus' Starship

Trophy

Tournament

Smash Ball

Pitfall

Final Smash

Blue Falcon

Halberd

Arwing

Falcon Flyer

**Locations and Names from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time**

Hyrule

Gerudo

Goron

Zora

Navi

Princess Ruto

**Locations and Names from Metroid**

Space Pirates

Mother Brain

Planet Zebes

**Resident Evil's Cast**

Leon Kennedy

Claire Redfield

The Merchant

Ada Wong

Albert Wesker

Osmund Saddler

Chris Redfield

Ashley Graham

Jack Krauser

Billy Coen

Brian Irons

Sherry Birkin

William Birkin

**Monsters from Resident Evil**

Zombie

Licker

Cerberus

Hunter

Crimson Head

Tyrant

Los Illuminados

El Gigante

Centurion

Giant Crocodile

Neptune

Leeches

Crows

**Locations and Names from Resident Evil**

T-Virus

Los Plagas

Umbrella Corporation

The Mansion Incident

Raccoon City

Arklay Mountains

**My OC's and Cast**

John Berube

Michael Syvone

Dana Komar

James Papineua

Van Valchev

Todd Lawrence

Robert Laliberte

Drazn Orlow

Linda Lawrence

Hybrid Tyrant

**Special Thanks**

My reviewers, a select few I would like to point out:

Chris000 - My first reviewer and good friend. I know horror isn't your thing but thanks for reading anyways!

SG-Kai - A real fan of Resident Evil. This guy has stuck with me to the end.

ScriptLord - The Ness-fan. He's played both SSBB and RE. Glad you enjoyed my story!

Clear Blue - The Ike/Zelda fan of my reviewers. She also played RE. Thanks for reviewing! (even though Ike and Zelda were barely mentioned in the last chapter)

Grim Tales - You didn't say much, but thanks for reviewing all the same.

metasaur - Probably the only person who listened to me when I said to review before the last chapter. As promised, here you are in the Special Thanks section. Thanks for reviewing!

I be Terrorist - You can 'unglue' your eyes from the screen now that the stories over. Thank you for reviewing!

Also, I want to thank my sister, TBC123, for telling me stop adding so many chapters. Without her, I wouldn't have been able to make the story as long as it is.

**Fun Facts**

-This story took me over two months to type

-The magnum Leon uses to kill the last Hybrid Tyrant is the exact same one John gave to Snake in the beginning

-John, Mike, Dana, James, Captain Laliberte, and Private Van Valchev are all based off real people!

-When the merchant says, "What're ya buyin'?", it's an exact quote from "Resident Evil 4"

-In this fic, Leon and Claire are in love with each other, but there is no evidence of that in the Resident evil games

-When Leon says, "She's like a part of me I can't let go," it's an exact quote form "Resident Evil 4"

-Snake normally has a serous attitude, but in this fic he used for comic relief

-At one part in the story, Van comments about wanting to eat a steak. In "Resident Evil 4," Leon thinks the same thing when he investigates a piece of raw meat hanging on the wall

-All of Link's weapons in this story are from the game, "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," and not from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess." This is also the reason why Link thinks about Navi instead of Midna

-Samus' firing her zero laser at Captain Falcon's car in the beginning is a foreshadow of how she killed Orlow

-The Molotov cocktail is a weapon that can be used in "Resident Evil 0" and "Resident Evil 1"

-Zombies will turn into Crimson Heads when they die without being decapitated or incinerated after roughly 20 minutes. As a Crimson Head, the zombie goes into a 'berserk' mode and has enhanced speed and strength. Strangely, Mike turns into a Crimson Head in mere seconds after he is killed as a zombie...

-No one is certain if the merchant ever made it off the island at the end of "Resident Evil 4"

-The smashers all live on earth. They live in a secluded area of Japan, unknown to the rest of the world

-In this story, Samus can run out of rockets like in the Metroid games

-In all my Smash Bros. stories, Ganondorf and Sonic always have a thing against each other

-Majority of "Resident Evil" games end with the final boss being killed by some kind of super weapon. In this case, it was Samus' Final Smash

-Although he is never seen, Albert Wesker plays an important role in the background of this story...

-The Centurion is a monster that hasn't appeared since "Resident Evil 0"

-Billy Coen is one of the main protagonists in "Resident Evil 0"

-Mario is Dr. Mario. Big surprise

-Captain Falcon's first name is Douglas

-Lucario doesn't speak, but uses telepathy to communicate with everyone

-If this was real life, it would have been impossible for Van to save Todd from being frozen

-Most of my reviewers have said at least one thing about the merchant and how he is so annoying

-The "T" in "T-Virus" stands for "Tyrant"

-Brian Irons is killed in 1998, but somehow, he is alive in this story...

-The summary for this story, "In the darkness lies your fears..." is an exact quote from the game "Resident Evil"

-The secretary's diary Dana reads is based off the diary from "Resident Evil 2"

-I originally intended this story to end around chapter 7, but there was so much I could write, I couldn't stop!

-Chapter 12 is the shortest chapter while Chapter 20 is the longest

-According to my poll, Van is the most popular OC in the story. Probably because he kicks ass, I don't know

-There is a lot of symbolism in this story when comparing the dark and the light

-The shirt Samus wears that says "Disturbed" is the name of the rock band that wrote "The Night"

-A lot of characters tend to have conversations with their reflections (especially Link). Note that they are not actually _talking_to their reflections but thinking to themselves. The reflection is only used for effect. Think of the reflection as the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other

-The scar on Todd's nose is supposed to hint what happens to him in the future. I'll let you figure that out for yourself. See if you were paying attention

-This is the only Smash Bros. fic where I haven't made Sonic say something stupid like, "Sonic's the name, speed's my game!"

-Majority of "Resident Evil" games end with the main characters leaving by some kind of vehicle. This is how it ends with Leon and Claire

-If you didn't catch it earlier, it was love that caused the virus in Claire's body to disappear (Doh! Shouldn't have said that!)

**My Pairings**

LinkxSamus - I prefer this pairing to LinkxZelda. Link and Zelda are more like friends than lovers. I think this works perfectly because Link is a swordsman while Samus is a bounty hunter who travels through space. Link is gentle and heroic while Samus is a tomboy and hotheaded. But she can e cool at times.

IkexZelda - I honestly did not see this one coming when I started the fic. But I went with it as the story kept going. Ike is a general while Zelda is a princess. I think it's actually a good pair.

LeonxClaire - As I said earlier, there is no evidence in the game that Leon and Claire have feelings for each other. Basically, I had to chose between Ada and Claire, but I don't like Ada that much so I chose Claire. They both have a history together. Majority of people who write Resident Eivl fanfiction will prefer LeonxClaire to LeonxAda. That is why I went with it. I kind of made Claire a bit of a wimp too. She is not like that in the game, believe me.

**Time Paradox**

Okay, I never realized this until I was about less than halfway through the story. There is a MAJOR TIME PARADOX. Where do you ask? Well, you would only notice it if you've played Resident Evil 4 and 5. I'll try to make this simple using a timeline:

1998 - Mansion Incident, T-Virus spreads through Raccoon and Raccoon is sterilized

2004 - Leon goes to Europe and comes home in the SAME YEAR

2005 - Leon and Claire are in Harvardsville and dealing with a virus problem

2008 - Chris and Sheva fight Wesker in Africa and Super Smash Bros. Brawl is released in North America

As you can see, my story contradicts a lot of facts. One, being that Leon arrives home in 2004, but in the story he comes home in 2008, which means he either would have been in Europe for 4 years or he didn't leave for Europe until 2008. To make things worse, thanks to the new movie "Resident Evil: Degeneration," Leon and Claire are in Harvardsville and fighting off a virus caused by Wilpharma in 2005. I never saw this movie until near the end of writing my story. This just threw it off entirely. Most of you are probably thinking, "Well the answer's kind of obvious isn't it?" It's not. Sure, I could just make it so Leon doesn't come back from Europe and that he's been in North America for four years, but that would throw everything else off balance. Trust me, I thought of this already. Everything but that falls into place just perfectly.

**Last Words**

I hope you all enjoyed my story. It is the first installment to my new Dark Series. There will be two more stories following this one, both of which will be SSBB crossovers. Once again, I thank all my reviewers and readers for reading my story. I had a lot of fun writing this one and I hope I feel the same for the others. Let's see, there was one more thing I wanted to say...Oh what was it again?...Oh yeah! Falcon...PAWNCH!


	24. CHARACTER PROFILES

CHARACTER PROFILES

The following is a list of the characters in the story, _Into the Dark_, and their bios. Enjoy.

**Main Characters**

**Link**

Age: 21

Sex: M

Race: Hylian

Personality: Calm, Optimistic, Heroic

Occupation: Farmer/Hero

Love Interest: Samus Aran

Abilities: His large ears allow him to hear the slightest sound around him. He is skilled in all sorts of weapons except for firearms. He can lift heavy objects with his Golden Gauntlets.

Weapons: Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Fairy Bow, boomerang, bombs, hookshot

Background: He saved the kingdom of Hyrule from Ganon's rule when he was 17. In 1998, Link was recruited to the Smash Brothers, an organization dedicated to the training of the most advanced fighters in the world. He recently rejoined the Smash Brothers in early 2008 after taking some time off from his hero business. He assisted in the destruction of the Subspace Army when Taboo rose to power during the first tournament. After his death, Smash Bros. was reorganized into the Super Smash Bros. Brawl and a new tournament began. This was interrupted yet again by the mishap in Raccoon City.

**Samus Aran**

Age: 21

Sex: F

Race: Human/Chozo

Personality: Hotheaded, Aggressive, Gentle at times

Occupation: Bounty Hunter

Love Interest: Link

Abilities: Agile in her zero suit. She can use all forms of firearms and weaponry. In her power suit, she can use Morph Ball, and Screw Attack.

Weapons: Beam, Zero Laser, Rockets, Super Rockets, Bomb, can combine attacks with Lucario and Ness.

Background: She cleansed Planet Zebes of the dreaded Mother Brain when she was younger. Samus then spent the next few years of her life tracking down criminals and bringing them to justice. Like Link, she is one of the original members of the Smash Bros. There is a bit of a rivalry between her and Captain Falcon because they share the same occupation, but after the incident in Raccoon City, they have learned to co-operate and respect each other.

**Solid Snake**

Age: 32

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Calm, Comic, Serious

Occupation: Mercenary

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He is very good at staying quiet and going into stealth mode. He can break someone's neck from behind.

Weapons: All kinds of explosives and gadgets

Background: He was recruited to the Smash Bros. when Subspace collapsed. He was first discovered on a reconnoissance mission on Meta Knight's Halberd. Since then, he has proven a valuable asset to the company. Snake is the first member to be recruited that didn't already work for Nintendo. He only stays for a few months before outbreak occurs in Raccoon City.

**Leon Scott Kennedy**

Age: 26

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Serious, Determined

Occupation: Government Agent

Love Interest: Claire Redfiled

Abilities: He can dodge most attacks and can be very resourceful at times. Skilled with firearms.

Weapons: Handgun, Shotgun, TMP, Semi-Automatic Rifle, Hand Grenades, Flash Grenades, Incendiary Grenades, Combat Knife, Magnum Revolver, Rocket Launcher.

Background: Originally sent to Spain to rescue the President's daughter, Ashley Graham. He fights his way through the mobs of infected civilians to find Ashley and Osmund Saddler, the man who started the breeding of the Las Plagas. He was killed by Leon with the help of Ada and the merchant. Leon then rode back to America with Ashley via jet-ski. With Ashley safe and sound at home, Leon returns to Raccoon City to find it crawling with monsters. He fears for his childhood friend-Claire Redfield's-safety. He runs into the merchant again while venturing through the wasteland, and eventually stumbles upon Link and the smashers. With their combined help, they all manage to escape the cit before being scorched into flame.

**Claire Redfield**

Age: 25

Sex: F

Race: Human

Personality: Caring, Honest

Occupation: Member of an Anti-Terrorist Organization

Love Interest: Leon Kennedy

Abilities: Skilled in all types of firearms and knowledge of the T and G Viruses.

Weapons: Handgun, Shotgun, Grenade Launcher, TMP.

Background: Returns to Raccoon City from the incident in Harvardville to find it fallen at the hands of the Illumindos. In a desperate attempt to escape, Claire is captured by Orlow and imprisoned in the Underground. She is used as bait to lure Leon Kennedy into their lair. With the help of the smashers, she manages to make it out of the city and back home.

**The Merchant**

Age: Unknown

Sex: M

Race: Human/Zombie

Personality: Greedy, Selfish

Occupation: Merchant (go figure)

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: If the situation calls for it, he will use the weapons he carries in his coat to defend himself.

Weapons: All types excluding melee weapons.

Background: He mysteriously escapes the exploding island where Leon killed Saddler. He stalks Leon until he ends up in Raccoon City. Him and Leon make yet another alliance to help each other in the city, but the merchant still has money on his mind.

**Van Valchev**

Age: 30

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Serious

Occupation: Soldier

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: Skilled in all types of firearms and explosives. He can also perform CPR.

Weapons: Standard Class SMG

Background: His parents were murdered by the T-Virus when he was just a boy. Since then, Van vowed to get revenge on the people who murdered his family, especially his father. He joins Umbrella as a soldier going into his teen years. He trains under them, believing that what he is doing is the right thing. The sad thing is, he is unaware that Umbrella is really his enemy because they are the ones who killed his parents.

**Todd Lawrence**

Age: 29

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Demanding

Occupation: Engineer

Love Interest: Linda Lawrence

Abilities: N/A

Weapons: N/A

Background: He moved to Raccoon City with his new family a few years after the first outbreak. His family accidentally ends up being evacuated from the city during the second outbreak without him. They are reunited after Todd is rescued by Van, Leon and the smashers.

**Supporting characters**

**Ike**

Age: 22

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Protective, Courageous, Noble

Occupation: General

Love Interest: Zelda

Abilities: Abnormal strength

Weapons: Ragnell, a two handed sword

Background: Like Snake, Ike was recruited by the Smash Bros. to help take down the Subspace army and Tabuu. He was originally a general for an army, but took some time off from the battlefield. He spent the recent months of his life participating in tournaments and relaxing in the Smash Mansion. He first realized how horrible the real world was when he first set foot in Raccoon City on a rescue mission to save Link, Samus and Snake.

**Zelda/Sheik**

Age: 21

Sex: F

Race: Hylian

Personality: Gentle

Occupation: Princess

Love Interest: Ike

Abilities: She can use the power of the three goddesses of the triforce to utilize fire, wind and water. When she is Sheik, she is very agile and can throw small daggers.

Weapons: N/A

Background: She is the princess of the kingdom of Hyrule. When Link defeated Ganon, the kingdom was finally at peace. Ganondorf, Link and Zelda were all transported thereafter to the Super Smash Brothers where they became official members. She still has a grudge against Ganondorf for trying to kill her many years ago, but she has learned to cope with him over the years they've lived together.

**Ness**

Age: 12

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Curious, Heroic

Occupation: Schoolboy

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He can use PK Fire, PK Thunder and PK Flash to do massive damage to enemies. His PSI Shield can give him energy by absorbing elemental attacks. He can combine attacks with Samus and Lucario.

Weapons: Baseball Bat, Yo-yo

Background: He saved the world when he was younger from some greater form of evil with the help of four friends. He decided to join Smash Bros. as a way to make himself more powerful and to enhance his PSI powers. Ness is very emotionally attached to his mother because she cared for him a lot when he was younger. He still prays to God every night to watch over her and keep her safe.

**Lucario**

Age: Unknown

Sex: M

Race: Pokemon

Personality: Quiet

Occupation: N/A

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: Can utilize the power of Aura to attack enemies and locate people. He ha super speed and jumping capabilities.

Weapons: N/A

Background: Officially joins the Smash Bros. after Tabuu's defeat. When the tournament starts, he realizes that his opponent, Snake, is no longer within the radius of his Aura senses. Lucario sets off on a mission by himself to locate Snake as well as Samus and Link. He himself gets lost and has to be rescued by Captain Falcon and the other smashers.

**Captain Falcon**

Age: 26

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Obnoxious, Narcissistic

Occupation: Bounty Hunter

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He can run fast and is skilled in hand to hand combat. His signature move is the Falcon Punch.

Weapons: Magnum Revolver

Background: another original member of the Smash Bros. Falcon was a bounty hunter who travelled around the universe to compete in the F-Zero races, the most deadliest and fastest races known to mankind. When a new tournament was announced, he dropped everything and flew back to Earth the rejoin the Smash Bros. He meets his old rival, Samus Aran and attempts to make her lose in the tournament no matter what the cost. After the outbreak in Raccoon City, Falcon realizes that what he wanted to do was wrong. He soon became a good friend and valuable ally to Samus and Link.

**Mike Syvone**

Age: 29

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Protective, Coward

Occupation: Doctor

Love Interest: Dana Komar (in a weird way)

Abilities: He has vast knowledge of different kinds of medicines and vaccines.

Weapons: N/A

Background: Moved to Raccoon City to study medicine, but his dreams were soon crushed when the murders started to occur. He found himself running around the city alone, unarmed and afraid. He runs into Dana Komar near the beginning of the horror and protects her from the creatures. They build some sort of trust bond together as they venture throughout the city. But the madness takes over Mike's mind and corrupts him. He starts to develop an alter persona who is extremely obsessed with Dana and her safety. This obsession however is the sole cause for his ultimate death in the end.

**Dana Komar**

Age: 21

Sex: F

Race: Human

Personality: Caring

Occupation: University Student/Part Time Waitress

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: N/A

Weapons: N/A

Background: A second year university student in Raccoon City. She moved out to America in hopes to get a better education than where she was originally living in Canada. Everything goes just fine until an experiment goes horribly wrong in the laboratory. Monsters start to appear in the city and eat passing civilians on the spot. In a panic, she tries to run away as far as she can, but ends up getting attacked by one of the monsters. She finds Mike Syvone who treats her wound and they continue through the nightmare together until they meet up with Link, Samus and Snake.

**Minor Characters**

**Fox**

Age: 28

Sex: M

Race: Fox

Personality: Daring

Occupation: Pilot

Love Interest: Krystal (from the Starfox series if you didn't know)

Abilities: Super speed. He can also pilot a large variety of ships.

Weapons: Standardized Blaster

Background: An original member of the Smash Bros. Fox is always there to help his friends when they are in need. He is the leader of Starfox, a team of professional pilots who fly through the galaxy and thwart the evil plans of the dreaded Starwolf. He agrees to go into Raccoon City to find Lucario with the other smashers. The majority of the time he is in Raccoon City, he is wounded. Luckily, his friends manage to save his life and bring him back to the mansion in time.

**Falco**

Age: 28

Sex: M

Race: Falcon

Personality: Trustworthy

Occupation: Pilot

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He has high jumping capabilities.

Weapons: Custom Standardized Blaster

Background: Fox's right-hand man and ace pilot. Falco goes along with Fox when he and the others attempt to rescue Lucario in the city. After reuniting with Link, Samus and Snake, he and Fox get separated, which leads to Fox getting shot.

**Lucas**

Age: 12

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Shy

Occupation: Schoolboy

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He uses PK Fire, PK Thunder, PK Freeze, and PSI Shield which can absorb elemental attacks.

Weapons: Stick

Background: Lucas is rescued by Ness when the Subspace Army attacks. Since then, is life has been dedicated to helping the Smash Bros. in any possible way he can. His life before that was a sad one as his mother was killed in a fire. His feelings for his mother are strong, but he normally keeps these feelings to himself by trying not to cry, no matter how bad he wants to. He agrees to go into Raccoon City to save Lucario. A foolish mistake indeed.

**Meta Knight**

Age: Unknown

Sex: M

Race: Unknown

Personality: Quiet

Occupation: Star Warrior

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He can fly and spin rapidly to create small tornados.

Weapons: Galaxia

Background: Joins the Smash Bros. to aid in the battle against Tabuu. He becomes an official member thereafter. Upon discovering that Lucario goes into the city alone, he organizes a rescue team to go into Raccoon City and find him.

**Pit**

Age: 18

Sex: M

Race: Angel

Personality: Helping

Occupation: Angel

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He has the ability to fly and can tell if his friends are lying.

Weapons: Palutena's Bow, Big Shield

Background: He is sent to aid the Smash Brothers in battle against the Subspace Army by the goddess Palutena. She gives him her bow and he sets off to save the world. He and the other smashers take down Tabuu and peace is restored yet again to the universe. He acts as a messenger for Captain Falcon when he gets trapped in Raccoon City.

**John Berube**

Age: 37

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Cocky

Occupation: Bartender

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: N/A

Weapons: Double Barreled Shotgun and Molotov Cocktail

Background: One of the few survivors of the first outbreak in Raccoon City. He attempts to settle down and live a peaceful life as a bartender. Little does he know that his family is murdered by the T-Virus. John's alliance with Link eventually leads to his death outside the RPD.

**James Papineau**

Age: 40

Sex: M

Race: Human

Personality: Helping

Occupation: Police Officer

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He can navigate safely around Raccoon City and the RPD.

Weapons: Handgun

Background: He is a new cop, first day on the job. He gets left behind when the survivors escape the city. His hopes rise when he teams up with Dana and finds a way to escape the RPD. He is murdered at the hands of Mike Syvone when they are being evacuated by Fox and his Arwing.

**Ada Wong**

Age: 26

Sex: F

Race: Human

Personality: Traitorous

Occupation: Umbrella Spy

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: She is master of stealth and skilled with a wide variety of firearms.

Weapons: TMP

Background: A spy sent by Umbrella to locate the Illuminados and kill their leader. she hides in the shadows, away from all the destruction in the city, but notices the 'strange looking people' wandering through the streets. She manages to escape the city and report this to her superiors while Link and the smashers destroy the Illuminados for her.

**Villains**

**Drazn Orlow**

Age: Unknown

Sex: M

Race: Human/Infected

Personality: Power Hungry

Occupation: Cult Leader

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He summons Hybrid Tyrants to his aid. He also turns into a giant mutated form of the Plagas.

Weapons: Large Claws

Background: Helped to build the secret underground lab in Raccoon City to develop the T-Virus and Las Plagas. He and the Illuminados betray Umbrella by stealing a sample of the T-Virus and spreading it throughout the city. His ultimate goal was to fuse the Las Plagas and T-Virus together to create one super virus. He would have used this to get revenge on Leon Kennedy and the USA.

**Osmund Saddler**

Age: Unknown

Sex: M

Race: Human/Infected

Personality: Power Hungry

Occupation: Cult Leader

Love Interest: N/A

Abilities: He can control those who are infected with the Las Plagas. He mutates into a giant scorpion-like monster.

Weapons: Plagas Staff, Lance-like Claws

Background: Co-founded the Illuminados with Drazn Orlow. He also helped to develop the Las Plagas. He was killed by Leon Kennedy in an attempt to infect the president's daughter with the T-Virus.


End file.
